Mirror Mirror

I've been thinking a lot about how girls just aren't happy with themselves at some point in life. It honestly breaks my heart to see girls starve themselves because society says they're not skinny enough. It breaks my heart to see girls change themselves to try and get attention from a guy who doesn't really care about her and her heart. I was thinking about it all day today, so I sat down and wrote this out.

"You look in the mirror. You're not happy with what you see. So you decide to change it. You start to starve yourself to get skinnier. You put on makeup until you don't look like you anymore. You try to make yourself look like models and actresses who get all the attention from guys. Then, you start to get the same kind of attention. But strangely, you don't have joy. You're not the real you anymore. You're putting on a show. You spend all your time and energy on your appearance. What you should know is, you're going after the wrong kind of attention. 

There is One who has loved you from the very beginning. He doesn't care what you're wearing or if your hair and makeup are done just right. He loves you for who you are, for who He's created you to be. His name is God. He wants an intimate relationship with you. The more time you spend with Him, the more you realize just how much He loves you. You realize just how precious you are. Without all the makeup, clothes, and hair. You'll find you have true joy! He just loves YOU! Plain and simple."

Don't let a mirror define you. Don't let society define you. You are beautiful because of who God has created you to be. There could never be a more beautiful you! 

Life

Life. It's a beautiful thing, a wonderful thing that God has created. But it has it's end. And for some, it ends too soon. This week I've heard of two tragic deaths. One of them, I knew. The other was friends with my cousin and I didn't get the chance to meet her.

One of them died from cancer. He was only 21. The other was a friend of my cousin and she was shot. She was either 18 or 19. When I heard this, it got me thinking. Why do we just stand by when these things happen? I mean yes it is a part of life, but these are our brothers and sister in Christ! It made me mad to hear that the lives of these young people were taken, and in such a terrible way too.

As I was thinking, I kind of just analyzed everything, and this is what I came up with: Even though these young people aren't related to me by blood, they are my brother and sister in Christ. Therefore, they ARE family to me. I'm not just going to look at all of this and go "That's sad." I'm going to take action. I'm going to be praying for the families of these young people. Even though they probably won't know that I am praying for them, God can still move! They don't need to know that I'm praying in order for the prayer to be answered.

Life is short. We need to realize why we were put on this earth and live life with purpose.

Power of Words

Our words are so powerful. I've been told this since I was a little kid, and I've believed it. But tonight I saw a new light on it. 


I was in my car and I had some worship music on. The song We Are Hungry came on. The lyric is "We are hungry, we are hungry, we are hungry for more of You. We are thirsty, we are thirsty, we are thirsty for more of you." And sitting there in my car I was singing along and I started singing it "I am hungry, I am hungry..." and so on. And it had a whole different meaning to it. I've sang this song in church so many times, and it's amazing! Amazing that the body of Christ wants that!! But sitting there just me and God and I'm singing it that I want more of Him meant more. We shouldn't just be hungry for Him on Sunday mornings. It should be everyday! That's a concept that a lot of us don't get, especially here in America where we have everything at our fingertips. We tend to forget who gave us those things. 


Another thing is, we NEED to be careful about what's coming out of our mouths. Are our words building someone up, or tearing them down? I know we're all guilty of saying things we shouldn't. We're human. We need to learn to control our tongue. 
Proverbs 12:18 says, "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Would you rather have your words be like sword thrusts, or have them bring healing? Start speaking life into people! I know there's people out there don't you really don't like, there really isn't escaping them. There's always gonna be someone around you that you don't necessarily like. So instead of going to someone and talking about how much you can't stand them and every little thing about them that bothers you, look at their positives, speak life into their lives. Maybe God placed you in their lives for a reason. Maybe they're looking for a reason to live. 


Matthew 15:18 says, "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person." What's in your heart will come out of your mouth. To make a change, you need to start by checking your heart. Learn to love people despite the wrong they do to you. Ask God to help you, He loves to be a part of your life! And He already sees what's going on. 


Psalm 121:1-2-I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

Don't Be Unforgiving

We're all guilty of doing this at least once. We're human. It happens because none of us are perfect. But that's no excuse and it's not right. God dealt with my heart on this tonight. Someone hurt me a while ago and I never forgave that person. I just kept sweeping it under the rug whenever it came up. But I realized that when you don't forgive someone, it keeps you from God and all He has for you. It's sometimes hard to let go of things. But we have to let them go! We need to forgive others as God has forgiven us.
Ephesians 4:32 says, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."


Matthew 6:14-15 says, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Whoa! That's some heavy stuff right there. Some food for thought. If you forgive others, God will also forgive you. But if you don't forgive others, God won't forgive you either. There's consequences for everything we do. Good and bad. We need to realize this. Consequence for not forgiving others for their trespasses? God won't forgive your trespasses. 


So many times we think if we could just get back at the person who hurt us it'll make us feel much better. Well I don't know about you, but I've done that and ended up feeling even worse. 
1 Peter 3:9 says, "Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing."
It says it all right there! Don't repay evil for evil. Forgive and God will bless that. 


Forgive. That's all there is to it. 

Modesty

Modesty. It seems like it's slowly fading away. Seriously, it's hard to find clothes that are modest. Jeans are becoming smaller and tighter. Shirts are becoming lower. Shorts are becoming waaaay shorter. It's ridiculous. 


This blog is basically for girls. Girls, please, don't be showing off your body. I understand wanting to look pretty. But you can do that while still being modest. Your body is for you and you alone, until you get married, then it's for you and your spouse. It's not meant for everyone else to see. When you're wearing clothes that are showing too much skin, it can cause your brothers to stumble. Think about it, someday when you're standing in front of God, He might ask you why you dressed that way that caused someone to stumble. What would you say? "It was the style." "It looked cute." "That's what everyone else was wearing." Seems kinda silly to me. Rarely do people think of the effects that their choices have. Dressing the way society tells you to in order to be accepted isn't worth it if you're compromising your beliefs and morals. It's really not worth it for eternity. Just think about it. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

You're body is a temple of Christ. Treat it that way! When you think of a temple of Christ, do you picture a girl with a low cut tank top and booty shorts? Cause I sure don't! So why should we dress that way? 

These are my thoughts of today. Sorry if it was more of ranting than anything else. :)

Blessings

We pray for blessings. We pray for peace. Comfort for family, protection while we sleep. We pray for healing, for prosperity. We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering. All the while, You hear each spoken need. Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things.


So many times we pray for all those things. But how many times are for ourselves instead of others? I'm not saying it's wrong to pray for things you need. You should! But you are NOT the only one who has needs. Trust me there is ALWAYS someone who is worse off than you! I have found the more I pray for someone else, the less I focus on my problems and worry about them. I'm not saying that you should pray for someone else to get what you need. I'm not saying you should pray for someone else to help yourself. I'm saying, you should pray for others because God loves and cares for them just as much as you! One of the greatest ways to show someone God's love is to simply pray for them! I had the chance to pray for a friend's friend today. God started working immediately! And even though I have my needs and such, I could only rejoice! I can't wait to see how much more God does in this situation!


We pray for wisdom. Your voice to hear. And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near. We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love. As if every promise from Your Word is not enough. All the while, You hear each desperate plea. And long that we'd have faith to believe.


How many times have we doubted that God isn't good enough or big enough? This is one thing I've learned this past week. I've been waiting months for my car to be fixed. I bought all the parts and my dad's been working on it and he got it all put together. When he tried it out to see if it was all good, it would keep shutting off on him. Talk about frustrating! And instead of trusting God, I cried out of frustration and worry. I already owe my parents money for those parts and now it may need more. That right there was enough to get me into tears. But God has never once not provided for me. And I seem to forget that. It's something I'm working on. I'm putting my faith in God! I didn't even realize until a few days ago that He's already providing. I'm getting lots of hours at work. I know He'll provide for me again! We need to stop concentrating on all the bad things in this world and start concentrating on Him! 


Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops? What if Your healing comes through tears? And what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near? What if my greatest disappointments, or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy? And what if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights are Your mercies in disguise.


Thing about it! What if His blessings come through raindrops? And His healing through tears? I'm not saying that's how it's always gonna be. But this life is hard and sometimes that's how it is. God desires a relationship with us and He wants us to FULLY rely on Him! He's not going to bring pain to you so that you will. I don't believe He can do that. But I do believe that He can allow it. We should be so hungry for Him that NOTHING else will satisfy that hunger! 


James 1:2 says this, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy."


God never once said this life will be easy. But He will always be by your side to help you through it! Always remember that! If you're reading this, God loves you and so do I through His love! :)

Come Make War

Rick Pino has some amazing music! Come Make War is one that I absolutely love!! I blare it in my car and sing sooo loudly along with it! It's so hard to listen to his music and not get into it! But every time I listen to it, I mean REALLY listen to it I think about all the things we put before God. It's wrong. There's so many things that people put before God. Whether it's a boyfriend/girlfriend, spouse, friends, the internet, electronics, video games, and so on. One that I've struggled with is that I want to find the man God has created for me. I want to get married. I've let that get in between my relationship with God. It's something that I've been working on. I think that's why I love this song so much. I want God to be first in my life. In all I do. 


The chorus of the song is:
Come make war on every other lover. Hedge me in, come build Your wall of fire. Come make war on every other lover. Hedge me in, come build Your wall of fire around my heart.


That has become my prayer. Asking God to make war on EVERY other lover! To build His wall of fire around my heart so that nothing can come between Him and I! 


The first verse says:
No more sleeping love, no more sleeping bride. No more white washed tombs with the bones inside. Thereʼs a new breed rising with fire in our eyes. 


We are the bride and Jesus is the bridegroom. It's time to wake up! Want revival? Get up and do what God intended you to! Don't sit back and do nothing and expect revival to just fall on your head. Yes God can do it that way but He wants to use you! 


The second verse says:
Young ones full of visions, old ones dreaming dreams. Be warned all you judges, be warned all you kings. Rid the land of altars setup to other gods. 

Blow the trumpet in Zion, awaken every heart.

Joel 2:28 says, "Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions."

It reminds me of this human video I did. I saw it at a youth conference at a church called The Ramp down in Hamilton Alabama. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOr931PTCfo

Don't let things get in the way of your relationship with God! I promise God keeps your best interests at heart! He knows your heart and desires. He created you and your heart. He put those desires in you. But give God control!! 

Walk on the Water

Faith. The definition: complete trust or confidence in someone or something. 


I know I write a lot of these blogs off a song that I've heard. But I love music! I can hear someone say something and not understand it completely but as soon as I hear it in a song, it really hits me! So for this one, I'm using Walk on the Water by Britt Nicole.


You look around. It's staring back at you. Another wave of doubt. Will it pull you under? You wonder, "What if I'm overtaken? What if I never make it? What if no one's there? Will you hear my prayer?"

It's so easy to fall into those kinds of thoughts. Into doubt. That's exactly what satan wants! We have to be so careful! God's always there for us. He only what's His best for us! Is there something you want to do with your life? Is there something you want to do for God? Put your faith in Him!! Maybe you don't know what you want to do yet. Just trust God! I'll be honest, I'm almost 20 and I'm still not completely sure what I want to do with my life or what I'm supposed to do. But I'm putting my trust in God. 


When you take that first step into the unknown, you know that He won't let you go.


Take a step out there! Put your whole trust in Him. He won't let you go! He loves you too much! 


So what are you waiting for? What do you have to lose? Your insecurities try to hold to you. You know you're made for more, so don't be afraid to move. Your faith is all it takes and you can walk on the water to.


Let me ask you, what are you waiting for? What do you have to lose? Honestly, this life is short and we're not here to get rich and then die. We're here for a purpose. God has a plan for our lives! For you specifically! Don't let your insecurities hold on to you! You are made for so much more than what this world has to offer!!! Have faith in the God that has Created you! In the God who gave you the gifts and talents in you! 


Just imagine the things God can do in you and through you if you just have faith in Him!! Maybe God wants to use you to heal someone. Maybe He wants to use you to speak life into someone's life. Maybe He wants to use you to bring His Word to the "unreachable." All you have to do is surrender your all to Him and put all your faith in Him! Have childlike faith in Him!  

We Are Hungry

This weekend I had the opportunity to go on a retreat with the youth group that I am involved with. It was amazing to see God at work in the lives of these students. I got the opportunity to pray with students and speak into their lives. It was an amazing experience for all!


Throughout the weekend we sang a song called We Are Hungry. It's an amazing song. It made me happy to find it from Jesus Culture! Anyway, the lyrics are simply amazing!




Lord I want more of You. Living water rain down on me. Lord I need more of You. Living breath of life come fill me up.


Ok, speaking that right there out is saying a lot. Saying, Lord I want more of You and meaning it is so beautiful! Surrendering to God and telling Him that you need Him, it's important. We can't live a Christian without surrendering to Him. 




We are hungry. We are hungry. We are hungry for the more of You. We are thirsty, oh Jesus. We are thirsty for the more of You.


Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."


If you are hungry and thirsty for more of God, He will pour Himself out! We should hunger and thirst for more of Him and His Word. It helps us grow in our walk with Him. Our relationship with Him needs to grow! 


I find when I spend time in worship and reading my Bible, I want more and more!! It's a beautiful thing! 


I might have another blog from this weekend but I need to figure out everything and how to put it into words. :)

Come Alive

Wake up, get out; there's no time to waste now. Never shut up, it's our turn to speak out. These streets are dead just waiting to come alive.


I have so many bands that I love. And Barlow Girl is one of them. They're not afraid to speak out. We need that so desperately in this world today! We need to wake up and get out there. Stop wasting our lives and live! There are too many people out there who don't know Christ. 


You may say, "well God didn't call me to be a missionary, so what can I do?" True, God didn't create us all to go to another country to reach people. But God calls us to do His work. We all live somewhere where not everyone is saved. Reach those people! God loves them as much as the people in other countries! I've had to remind myself of this. I've thought, "I want to reach people. Maybe I can go there or there." But I work with people who aren't saved. I have family who aren't saved. I can reach them!


Break down the doors of our comfortable room. Tear down the walls we never could see through. Aren't we sick yet of missing out on life?


Ok, reaching out to people isn't gonna be easy. God didn't say it would be. We need to step out of our comfort zones! Seriously, aren't you sick of missing out on life? Reaching out to people is a beautiful thing! They're looking for something to hope in. God is all the hope we need! But not everyone knows that. 


All have been called but so few have listened. Life is too short, you don't wanna miss this. Make up your mind before life passes by. Now is the time to wake up and see this world won't revolve around you and me. So let's be the change we've all been waiting for!


We, as Christians, have been called to spread the Good News. But too many times we put it off saying "o I'll do it later." And never do. Life is too short. You never know when you're gonna die or someone you know is gonna die. Don't miss your chance! We need to wake up! Realize that just because we're living right and following God doesn't mean people will see it and realize that's what they need. Most people need to be told. They need to know that God loves them and wants to spend eternity with them. But they can't if they continue on living in sin. This world WILL NOT and DOES NOT revolve around you and me. Let's be that change we're waiting for! You want revival? Get out and do something about it! It's not just gonna fall out of the sky! God's people need to move!


Cause' we've heard the cry and we'll come alive. And we fight for love, and we live to die. Because a life that holds no meaning is like a day without the light. So we'll come alive tonight.


This world is crying out! When you hear it, will you respond? Will you come alive and do what God has created you to? Because a life that holds no meaning, IS like a day without the light! :)

If We Are The Body

If We Are The Body by Casting Crowns is a song that I've heard many times throughout the past few years. I would always sing along and never really thought about what it actually meant. I heard it the other day and I really listened to it.


The song starts out with these lyrics: It's crowded in worship today as she slips in trying to fade into the faces. The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know. Farther than they know. 


I want to start off by saying that we don't know what people are going through. You could be teasing someone about their appearances or their clothes or whatever, and it could be something that they really struggle with. Maybe they're not comfortable with who they are and you could be making matters worse. 


Later on it says: A traveler is far away from home. He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row. The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances are better out on the road.


I have seen too many times people judging others. We've all done it. I've done it. Doesn't make it right. If someone is coming to church to find answers and they just find people judging them, they're not going to find God. They're not going to find what they need to find. We need to show people the love of Christ. 


The chorus says: If we are the body, why aren't His arms reaching? Why aren't His hands healing? Why aren't His words teaching? And if we are the body, why aren't His feet going? Why is His love not showing them there is a way?


We as Christians are the body of Christ. So many of us have become so wrapped up in our own little worlds. Why don't we reach out to those who need it? Why aren't we laying hands on those who need healing. Why aren't we teaching? Why aren't we going out there and bringing the Good News to those who need it? Why aren't we showing His love to those who are lost and are trying to find a way? We need to stop thinking about ourselves. Start thinking about all those lost souls out there. God loves them just as much as you and me. 


Jesus paid much too high a price for us to pick and choose who should come. And we are the body of Christ.


I think that right there is self explanatory. God forgives everyone. God isn't picky about who He loves and forgives. Why should we be picky about who we choose to show God's love to?


Just some thoughts of mine this week. :)

Running Out of Time

We are not blind. We know the truth. Still we don't stand. Still we don't choose. We'd rather stay so comfortable stuck in our world under control.


Running out of Time by Barlow Girl has become one of my favorite songs. It's a song full of truth and honesty. Maybe even a little tough love? 


Those first few lyrics are so true. It's actually really sad how true it is. We would rather stay comfortable in our own world. We usually don't want to step out because of fear or whatever. God hasn't called us to be comfortable though. In order to reach out to the lost, it's going to require getting uncomfortable. The more we do it, the easier it gets. 


Tomorrow will come. And one day we'll see the choices we made, made history. Before it's too late, find where you stand. Let's use our voice while we still can.


The choices you make now will make history. Think about that. Do you want them to be good? You need to find where you stand. You can't be lukewarm. You can't sit on the fence. You're either with God or against Him. It's that simple. Use your voice. Use it in the way God has created you to use it. Whether it's comforting someone, showing them love, preaching, etc. 


This is war, so pick your side. It's time to move, not time to hide. Don't let lies make up your mind. Cause you will see, we're running out of time.

We are in a war. A spiritual war. We need to realize this and FIGHT! Put on the armor of God, don't go and hide and think it's gonna make a difference. We are running out of time. The last days are coming and we need to be ready. Too many souls out there are lost! We need to find them and bring them to their Creator! God loved us enough to send His only Son to die for us. Do we love His children enough to tell them about this?

Your Identity

He lives in the gym and his hair stay faded. Late model car so they think he made it. But he's Christian, he gave his life, but he still ain't satisfied in the savior Christ. Still finds his identity in looks and cars. If he only knew that he ain't have to look so hard. If he looked in God though it may seem odd he be so satisfied he could leave it all.


So, I absolutely love this song! It's Identity by Lecrae. It makes me think. So many people today are consumed by how they look and what people think of them. Everyone has cared what someone thinks of them at least once. It's something that I've struggled with. I hate it! I know girls who starve themselves because they think they're fat and ugly because they don't have a guy telling them they're pretty. Come on girls! You're absolutely gorgeous! God created you in His image. Now, I don't know about you, but when I think of God, I don't think of Him as an ugly being. Accept yourself for who you are! God created you the way you are for a reason! God loves you for who you are! 


 
Got her hair done, toes and nails. Is that Her? Well it's hard to tell cause she's caked up in so much make up. It's like she's trying to make up for what she ain't. But she's a saint, but so confused cause she's been rejected by all these dudes that tell her on a scale of 10 she's a two. But that ain't true if she only knew, in Christ she is loved, she secure and accepted. She'll never be rejected by God who's elected her. Her beauty is her Godliness and she ain't gotta try to flaunt it cause it's obvious.


In America, our society tells us we need the latest thing. New makeup. New clothes. All these things to be beautiful and accepted. God loves us no matter what. No makeup and in our sweats. I'm not saying that dressing nice and wearing makeup and doing our hair and nails is wrong, but it shouldn't be our focus. If You keep your focus on God and you have a relationship with Him, His light will shine through and your true beauty will be obvious. 


Identity is found in the God we trust. Any other identity will self destruct.


Your identity should be found in God. If you try to be anything else except the person God has created you to be, it'll crash. Sooner or later. Is it really worth it?


I'm not the shoes I wear. I'm not the clothes I buy. I'm am not the house I live in. I'm not the car I drive. I'm not the job I work. You can't define my worth by nothing on God's green earth, my identity is found in Christ.


You aren't the shoes you wear, the clothes you buy, the house you live in, the car you drive, or the job you work. You are you. The person God has created you to be. You are of infinite worth. No matter what! Just be who God created you to be!

Stepping Out of Our "Caves"

This is followed off my last post, "Arise and Shine."


In order to arise and shine, we need to look at ourselves and how we're living. Are we going to church and worshiping, then going home and yelling at our family and listening to music we shouldn't? Or watching things we shouldn't be? We need to be living our lives for Christ. He wants all of us. Not just a part of us. He's a jealous God. He doesn't want us living for Him in just certain times of the year. He wants us to be living for Him 24/7. 365 days a year. If we say we have a relationship with Him but don't spend time with Him or time in His Word, we're just kidding ourselves; we're continuing on in spiritual darkness. God wants to use us to help others find the light, to find Him. But we need to be one the right track ourselves.

This is another excerpt from the book Arise and Shine by Sarah Wehrli.

"You could be in a type of a cave. The cave could symbolize fear, depression, complacency, shame, or bitterness. The awesome thing is that Jesus has already paid the price for you to free from the chains of the enemy. God has called you out of darkness and into His glorious light! He desires you to help others come out of darkness and into the light of Christ Jesus.


There are so many distractions that will try to keep you from fulfilling your God-given purpose. You see, the enemy knows the potential that resides on the inside of you and he will do anything he can to keep you in fear of stepping our into something greater. But you must wake up and realize you have been brought to the Kingdom for "such a time as this." God has a purpose, an assignment, for you to fulfill. It is time to get out of your "cave" and be a light in the world."


That's seriously some powerful stuff right there. But it's so very true. We all have our own "caves." I've gone through depression. I could've given up. I could've been mad at God. But instead I handed it over to God, asked Him to help me. And guess what? He did! I'm no longer in that depression. I have the joy of God inside of me! Wanna know why God would do that? Because He loves His creation! My family's gone through a lot. I could let it get to me. I could fear that it's gonna happen the rest of my life, no matter what. But I CANNOT let the enemy win! I can't let Him steal my joy! NO ONE said living for Christ was going to be easy. In fact, it says in 1 Peter 2:21, "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps." And in James 1:12 it says, "God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."

With that being said, it won't be easy to follow God, but it will be so worth it in the end! God will bless you for being patient through testing and temptation. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

My own example for that is my depression. God helped me get out of it and now I'm able to help others because of it. Another thing is, I used to hate the way I looked, until I encountered God's love for me. After that, I wrote a poem. I felt I was supposed to put it up on our fridge. I know that sounds like such a little kid thing to do but I did it. Well, my mom ended up reading it and it blessed her. She ended up in tears. That poem was meant for her, even though I didn't know it at the time I wrote it. She needed to know how much God loved her.

Sometimes getting out of our "caves" is hard. But God will help us. All we have to do is surrender ourselves over to Him and be willing to step out and get out of our comfort zones. God has a plan and a purpose for each and everyone one of us. You and only you can fulfill yours.

Arise and Shine

This blog is going to be a little different than my others.

About two years ago, I went to visit some family. My aunt and uncle gave me a book called Arise and Shine by Sarah Wehrli. I didn't read it. I put it with all my other books. It didn't catch my interest back then.

Yesterday I was cleaning my room and found it. It immediately caught my attention. Today I started reading it. It took me about 20 minutes to read nine pages because I'm not just reading what it says, I'm really taking in what it means. I'm also writing down most of the Bible verses included in those pages.

I just wanted to share a little excerpt from chapter one because I think it's something we, as Christians, need to hear. So here it is:


"Jesus said in Matthew 10:8 '...Freely you have received, freely give.' We need to arise out of selfishness and begin to give out on a regular basis.


One example of this principle was illustrated to me when I was in Israel. It is found in the picture of two main bodies of water there: the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is Israel's largest freshwater lake and is fed by the Jordan River, which flows through it from north to south. Galilee's shore has rich soil which enables plants to flourish, and many types of fish live in the Sea of Galilee, providing fishermen with great sustenance. 


On the other hand, nothing lives in the Dead Sea. There are no plants or seaweed of any kind in or around the water. The Dead Sea is continually fed water from rivers and streams coming off the mountains that surround it, but no rivers drain out of the Dead Sea. The difference in the two is that the Sea of Galilee has water flowing into it and water flowing out of it, so it stays fresh; the Dead Sea has water coming in, but there is not any water flowing out of it.


This is a picture of many people if they don't get out of their comfort zone and give out of themselves on a regular basis. They can receive a lot of head knowledge from the Bible, but if they don't give it out, they become stagnant. God has called us to be a river, not a reservoir. He has called us not only to receive from His Word on a daily basis, but also to give out His love and message to others. When we do this we stay fresh, full of life and joy as God has designed us to live."


All I can say is wow, that's some powerful stuff right there. It really made me think about how I'm living my life. We waste so much time watching tv and movies, playing video games, sitting on the internet, the list goes on and on. I'll be honest with you, I'm guilty of those things. If you know me, I like to be on my computer. I like to do things with my photos and talk with my friends on facebook. But we need to get out there and step out of our comfort zone. We need to start living our lives to make a difference for God! We very well might be in the end times.

Some of you might say "Oh, I'm just a shy person. What can God do with me?" You know what? I'm pretty shy and God's using me. If you just step out into boldness it gets a little easier each time. God has used me to reach out to other people who are shy. Don't let satan feed you lies that God can't use you because you're too shy, or for any other reason. God wants to use you! He has a plan and a purpose for your life!

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you" says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

That right there tells me that God loves me and wants to use me for His Kingdom! God has given you gifts and abilities in you and He has a plan to use those for His Kingdom in ways that no one else can! All you have to do is hand those over to God, they're His anyway, and ask Him to use you! Trust me, He will!

While writing this, this song came to mind.

Copy and Paste:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B1Lv8k5pEc

Whenever I hear this song, I'm always in the car...alone. So I blast it and I just scream out this song. My favorite line is, "Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else to do what God has called me to do myself." So when you ask God to use you, when you pray to Him, take the time to actually listen to Him as well. He'll let you know what you're supposed to do.


You're all loved and valuable! Don't settle for the "normal" life or the "American Dream". Live for God. It won't be easy, I'll be honest. But it will be for the best, and God will take care of you.

Sacrifice

To You I give my life, not just the parts I want to. To You I sacrifice these dreams that I hold on to.


Jason Upton is an amazing writer! I've got a few songs of his that I want to write about. So I'm starting with No Sacrifice. Those lyrics up there are just amazing. I listen to this song and I think about my relationship with God. When you have a relationship with Him, there are sacrifices you have to make to grow with Him. Yes, it's hard at times but it's always best! Give Him your life and it'll be so much better than what you could ever do with it on your own! And that lyric about sacrificing dreams that we hold on to, God put dreams in our hearts. He keeps our best interests at heart. There's a reason those dreams are there, but we can't put our focus on just our dreams. Our focus has to be on Him. God wants to help us fulfill our dreams. God wants to use our dreams for His Kingdom. 




Your thoughts are higher than mine. Your words are deeper than mine. Your love is stronger than mine. This is no sacrifice, here's my life.


That part right there is my favorite! God's thoughts are higher. His words are deeper. And His love is stronger than ours. God wants to use us. He wants to use us to speak to other people and to show other people His love. 




To you I give the gifts Your love has given me. How can I hoard the treasures that You've designed for free?


God has given us all our own gifts, talents, and abilities. That lyric right there makes me think, "Why keep it to ourselves? That's selfish." God wants us to use our gifts and abilities for Him. We just have to let Him have control. He loved us enough to put them in us. It's the least we can do for Him.


God sent His one and only Son to die for us. He desires a relationship with us. Not just go to church on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night. But to spend time with Him throughout the whole week. To talk to Him. Not just through the bad, but also the good. To talk to Him about what's going on in your life, even though He already knows. He gave us the greatest gift. Why not thank Him by living your life for Him?

Lovey Love

He is jealous for me. Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree. Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy. When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great your affections are for me.

I heard this song for the first time about 2 years ago. I was in Tulsa visiting some family. My aunt had my cousin and I listen to it. She told us to close our eyes and to just really listen to this song and what it means. So there we were sitting on the living room floor, eyes closed listening to this song. By the end of the song we were all crying. I was there for 2 weeks. After that day, all we listened to was this song, no matter what we were doing. It started something in me. I started realizing how much God loves me. Started to understand it more. 

I've listened to this so much since then. Many different versions as well...but Kim Walker is my favorite! I would always put it on while I was doing something and wanted some music to listen to just because I love it so much! And every once in a while it would hit me again. 

We did this song in church this morning. It hit me again. I think that the more I grow in my relationship with God, I hear this song in a whole new light and it happens all over again! I love it! 

We are His portion and He is our prize, drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes. If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking. So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss and my heart turns violently inside of my chest. I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us. 

That might be my favorite part of the song. Ephesians 2:8 and 9 say "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast."

Just thinking about that gives me goosebumps. Seriously, God created us and we sinned against Him but He still loves us. He loves us even though we still sin and even though we're imperfect. He gives us His love with no strings attached. He loves us even if we don't love Him back. He doesn't say He'll love us if we do this and that. He just simply love us. He loves us enough that He sent His ONE and ONLY Son to die a horrible death so that we can spend an eternity with Him. How many people do you know who would do that for you? 

He also loves us enough to help us through this crazy thing called life. He's helped me through so much in my life. No matter how crazy life gets I know He'll always be there. His arms are always open for me to come into for an embrace. To just sit with Him. Talk with Him. He loves us enough to help us with big things and small things as well. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. To come to Him with EVERYTHING. Not just when things are bad or when we need/want something. His love and His friendship are greater than anyone else's. His love is unconditional. 

One more thing. Let's show each other this kind of love. The kind of love that doesn't judge a person based on looks, money, what kind of car they drive, etc. I honestly believe God wants to use us. We can love on people with His love and they'll know something is different. Showing someone His love could change their life! You don't have to shove the Bible in someone's face to reach them. Just love them. 

Sorry that this was a little long and that I kind of went on a little rant. But it's something that's in my heart. I wanna see this generation just so full of God's love. To see people showing each other God's love. 

Yup.

I love you all.  :)