"I need to be, SHOULD be, transparent." When I hear this, I suddenly realize that if I truly were transparent all people would be able to see were fears and pride. Sure God would be in there somewhere, but He would be so hidden by all the other junk inside of me that people wouldn't be able to see Him without getting to know me for awhile. If God is truly "my all in all" then you shouldn't see me at all...it should be ALL Him. Every day. No exceptions.
Being "deep" or "spiritual" when we're alone or in a bible study is great, don't get me wrong, but if people can't tell that we are sold out to God within a few minutes of knowing us, then there is a problem. He should always be evident in our lives.
We ought to be so wrapped up in God and His love that we can do nothing BUT do for Him! We should never "do" simply to get recognition but should do for Him because we know how to do nothing else. The bible says "They will know you by your works." What is your life telling other people?
Listening to God is so very important, but often the noise of the world is so loud that we have a hard time tuning it out. It's like a radio station coming in great but with the tiniest bit of noise from another station. Most of the time we try to get the loud station clearer, and drown out the little fuzz that's coming in. If we would just focus on that soft bit of music...we might be pleasantly surprised.
What is God saying to you, and what will you do about it? Being fully in tune to God means we have to listen...something I can do with people, but often forget to do with God. People say He only speaks to a few now days, special people set apart by God to hear Him correctly; I am so glad that is not the case! When God died, the curtain was torn so that all could come to Him and speak, so that He could speak to everyone freely. Are we listening? Having a one way communication with GOD, the Creator of the universe, the very One who breathed life into your lungs....that should bring us to our knees in humility.
One thing I think I've always asked God for is self control and self esteem; I wanted to be able to control myself in situations and stand up for myself without getting trampled on. But you know what I've found out? Those two things are all about one person: ME. I do not want "self" control or "self" esteem or anything else for mySELF. I want HIS-control, I want esteem through HIM. I can control nothing. I cannot be esteemed now or ever. But the good news is that God has found worth in me, "in that while I was a sinner, He died for me" and that worth is not found in "self-worth" but worth found through and of HIM alone.
I don't always like what God is telling me to do, I'll be quite honest. Most of the time the things He tells me to go for scare me to death! But as I move forward, watching Him break down wall after wall...I suddenly realize that my life begins to glow with HIM.
Think of it like a glow stick. You take it out of the package and break all of the pieces inside and it slowly begins to glow.
This is how God makes us better! First He must break us down so we rely on Him to light our path, then we slowly begin to glow with His goodness, love, peace and forgiveness. It is an amazing feeling. I heard someone once say, "God is breaking me, and it is beautiful!" and it is so true! Painful as it may be during the process, we are so much happier when we finally realize He is all we need, and that our hope is found in Him.
Hope in man will fade away, no matter how great they seem to be. I'm not cutting down the great men in our history that have lived a life filled with the spirit of God, but even those men are not to be labeled as "holy" because they are not God. Even they wouldn't accept such a title. We can join groups and look up to Christian leaders, but do not put any man on a pedestal. "There is none good, no not one." This is simple, but very hard for me to do. I'm afraid I place man too high in my own eyes too frequently, because they seem so "good" or "holy" but that is not where they ought to be placed. There is no man that is so amazing that they should be thought of as a "gift to God." No my friends, God is THE gift to MAN, not the other way around. "Do not conform to the world" is a deep passage; the world wants to make their own god. They want to replace what we think is "good" and "acceptable" so we no longer see God as anything special.
We must look up to God as the powerful One that He is. We must follow, honor, love, praise, give our time and talents to God and most importantly, LISTEN to God. Man has no wisdom that has not been given by God. "You would have no power unless it were given by the Father." We can think highly of whomever we wish, there are people we might think are pretty perfect, but they will always fail you. Nobody will ever know the perfect Christian life to live and where the "perfect" boundaries are, despite what they might tell you. There is always growing that needs to be done because man will always make mistakes. But the marvelous thing is this; God will NEVER fail us. We can rest assured that when we trust God with our whole being, He will not let us down.
The power of God's presence is something so amazing it hardly has words to describe it. It's so heavenly. Because it is not of this world we can rest assure it will not fade away. He is God! What He does and how He chooses to do it are unlike anything we have or ever will see this side of heaven. Yet He chooses to do it all for us and allow us to see what His mighty Hand can do.
Are we listening to all that God is saying, or going our own way?
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
My Worth Is Not Of This World
As I closed my journal, filling page after page with words of confusion...I wondered if I'll ever be able to change. If everyone's opinion about me is the same.
-No job
-No college plans
-Not many talents
-Failed relationships
-No future to be seen
I wonder if I made a fatal mistake somewhere that has led me to where I am today. Looking around at all my friends and family, as they succeed and move up in the world...I wonder where I went wrong. I ask myself over and over why I'm not there; why I'm always so afraid to start or finish anything.
None of these question have an answer yet. I've asked them for years and years and I've never found an answer. Today, however, I have begun to understand.
What everyone else's life looks like is not what my life SHOULD look like. I have yet to see where my life is headed, but I think God is still trying to repair me. I can't begin to grow like I want until the damage I've done on myself and my heart has begun to heal. I see that now. When people think I'm too afraid to do something, they need to look in my heart first. If I'm not doing it simply because I'm afraid, God will eventually give me the courage to go through with whatever it is I fear. If, however, I truly feel God telling me to wait, then people need to understand that. Just because I'm good at something doesn't mean I need to go get a job doing that; just because I do it on my own frequently doesn't mean I need to go get a degree in that area. Most of the time that won't make a difference at all and I will just be miserable.
I know a lot of people think I'm scared of just about everything...but believe me, I am pushing past those fears quickly. I've finally realized that if God wants me to do something, there's no way I CAN'T do it. Like my friend Travis says, God doesn't want me to just step outside my comfort zone, He wants me to step out of it so He can destroy it and watch me keep walking.
I feel like I am still a little kid who is very confused, fearful, shy and broken...but when God looks down at me He doesn't see that. He's sees His own perfectly imperfect, beautiful creation. I may not ever be that special to anyone here on earth, but I will never mean any less than that to my Savior.
I know God has His reasons for the things that He allows to happen to me, even if I feel like they are too heavy and I will break under the weight of them. He is there every step of the way, taking MY burdens, pains, broken pieces, broken heart, failures, faults and mistakes... washing them all with His blood...and handing back to me a white robe completely cleansed with His love.
"Love of My life look deep in My eyes, there you will find what you need. Give Me your life, the lust and the lies, the past you're afraid I might see. You've been running away from Me.
You're My beloved, lover I'm yours. Death shall not part us, it's you I died for. For better or worse, forever we'll be, My love it unites us, and it binds you to Me. It's a mystery.
Love of My life, look deep in My eyes, there you will find what you need. I'm the giver of life, I'll cloth you in white, My immaculate bride you will be. Oh come running home to Me.
You're my beloved, lover I'm yours. Death shall not part us, it's you I died for. For better or worse, forever we'll be, My love it unites us, and it binds you to Me. It's a mystery." -"My Beloved" by: Tenth Avenue North
He has a plan far better than anyone else has for me. Plain and simple. I need to be who I am, unafraid of what others think or say about me. Unafraid of failing, but going for whatever God puts in my way. There is no power greater than My God.
-No job
-No college plans
-Not many talents
-Failed relationships
-No future to be seen
I wonder if I made a fatal mistake somewhere that has led me to where I am today. Looking around at all my friends and family, as they succeed and move up in the world...I wonder where I went wrong. I ask myself over and over why I'm not there; why I'm always so afraid to start or finish anything.
None of these question have an answer yet. I've asked them for years and years and I've never found an answer. Today, however, I have begun to understand.
What everyone else's life looks like is not what my life SHOULD look like. I have yet to see where my life is headed, but I think God is still trying to repair me. I can't begin to grow like I want until the damage I've done on myself and my heart has begun to heal. I see that now. When people think I'm too afraid to do something, they need to look in my heart first. If I'm not doing it simply because I'm afraid, God will eventually give me the courage to go through with whatever it is I fear. If, however, I truly feel God telling me to wait, then people need to understand that. Just because I'm good at something doesn't mean I need to go get a job doing that; just because I do it on my own frequently doesn't mean I need to go get a degree in that area. Most of the time that won't make a difference at all and I will just be miserable.
I know a lot of people think I'm scared of just about everything...but believe me, I am pushing past those fears quickly. I've finally realized that if God wants me to do something, there's no way I CAN'T do it. Like my friend Travis says, God doesn't want me to just step outside my comfort zone, He wants me to step out of it so He can destroy it and watch me keep walking.
I feel like I am still a little kid who is very confused, fearful, shy and broken...but when God looks down at me He doesn't see that. He's sees His own perfectly imperfect, beautiful creation. I may not ever be that special to anyone here on earth, but I will never mean any less than that to my Savior.
I know God has His reasons for the things that He allows to happen to me, even if I feel like they are too heavy and I will break under the weight of them. He is there every step of the way, taking MY burdens, pains, broken pieces, broken heart, failures, faults and mistakes... washing them all with His blood...and handing back to me a white robe completely cleansed with His love.
"Love of My life look deep in My eyes, there you will find what you need. Give Me your life, the lust and the lies, the past you're afraid I might see. You've been running away from Me.
You're My beloved, lover I'm yours. Death shall not part us, it's you I died for. For better or worse, forever we'll be, My love it unites us, and it binds you to Me. It's a mystery.
Love of My life, look deep in My eyes, there you will find what you need. I'm the giver of life, I'll cloth you in white, My immaculate bride you will be. Oh come running home to Me.
You're my beloved, lover I'm yours. Death shall not part us, it's you I died for. For better or worse, forever we'll be, My love it unites us, and it binds you to Me. It's a mystery." -"My Beloved" by: Tenth Avenue North
He has a plan far better than anyone else has for me. Plain and simple. I need to be who I am, unafraid of what others think or say about me. Unafraid of failing, but going for whatever God puts in my way. There is no power greater than My God.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
I Want To Love Like You
Love is a funny thing. It is something everyone has a hunger for since the minute they enter this world. The sad thing is that most of us don't know how to desire the right kind of love; giving or receiving it.
I heard on the lyrics to a song on the TV, "I want to know what love is." Now, this is not a Christian song by any means, but it certainly got me thinking. The next part says, "I want you to show me."
Do we really want to know what love is? Do we really have a desire for God to show us what TRUE love is and means? In a world where everything is about me and want we have lost all senses of what love really should look like. It is not selfish or prideful. Love seeks NOT it's own, but desires to help and comfort those around it. Love is not puffed up, but completely humble, thinking of others before itself.
Families are broken apart, children are beaten and treated like trash, parents give up on any love they had for one another like it was a season that just came and went. Love is scarce and we haven't even noticed. The world is a prideful place to live. Humans hearts are set on themselves if they are not set on GOD.
I just keep thinking about that word; LOVE. I ponder it for a long time, wondering if I've ever shown true, unselfish love to anyone. I honestly don't know that I have. I strive to love God unselfishly, but I'm sure there's always some sort of self centered motives behind things I do. It makes me sad, it truly does. I have begun to realize lately that to truly be a light in this world I've been placed in, I have to stop striving to be better; I need to cease everything in my life and concentrate on one thing: learning to love. "Everything works together for good for those who love God." It doesn't say "well, you may not be blessed with much but at least you'll have warm fuzzies." No, "EVERYTHINGworks together for good..."
God desires to love and bless us; He WANTS to teach us. The question we must now ask ourselves is, do we want Him to? The relationship we have with God is built on love. Everything He did was out of love, which means for us to be Christ-like we must base our lives on love.
Now, this doesn't mean we should be peace-sign-holding-everything-is-just-great-we-should-all-just-love kind of people. No, we still have to stand up for what's right, have convictions and be able to speak the truth boldly even if we step on a few toes, but everything we do should be done IN love.
When we start putting other people above ourselves, then we can truly feel alive and free because we no longer have bitterness and hatred built up in that heart of ours, but pure love. It will not contaminate and poison us from the inside out like hatred and bitterness. It will not eat us alive turning us into darkness.
"God is love." It is SO simple. God loved you, God died for you, God wants you to feel His love and acceptance. Every. Single. Day.
Go back to the time and place you first found Jesus and made Him a permanent part of your life. I didn't cry because I found a new person to get acceptance from. I cried because I realize it wasn't just "some people" that killed the One Living God. It was me. I killed Him. Because of my sin He chose to die in my place. I cried because I was so happy, because I finally realized WHO God was, and the very thought of HIM loving me was just overwhelming. ME. Even though I have hurt Him, been angry at Him, went the opposite way He told me to go, and even though MY sin nailed Him to the cross...He still loved me. He will love me every day of my life regardless of what I do.
THAT is true love.
I love this song that Starfield sings, because the lyrics are just so amazing. They say, "Jesus You have me completely, every breath that I breathe, I am absolutely in Love with You." We SHOULD be completely in love with Jesus! It's not weird or unusual, because He is God. How would
I took a little of the lyrics from the song I mentioned in the beginning and have made them into a prayer, because in all honesty they truly were thought provoking.
Dear Lord,
"I want to know what love is. I want YOU to show me." I want you to guide me into a loving mind-set every day that I am blessed enough to wake up to another morning. I want my life to be like Yours, not living for anything in and of myself, but to show others the passionate love You give me each and every day. Cleanse and make my heart pure and fill it with You and You alone.
Amen.
Love, in short, is Jesus.
I heard on the lyrics to a song on the TV, "I want to know what love is." Now, this is not a Christian song by any means, but it certainly got me thinking. The next part says, "I want you to show me."
Do we really want to know what love is? Do we really have a desire for God to show us what TRUE love is and means? In a world where everything is about me and want we have lost all senses of what love really should look like. It is not selfish or prideful. Love seeks NOT it's own, but desires to help and comfort those around it. Love is not puffed up, but completely humble, thinking of others before itself.
Families are broken apart, children are beaten and treated like trash, parents give up on any love they had for one another like it was a season that just came and went. Love is scarce and we haven't even noticed. The world is a prideful place to live. Humans hearts are set on themselves if they are not set on GOD.
I just keep thinking about that word; LOVE. I ponder it for a long time, wondering if I've ever shown true, unselfish love to anyone. I honestly don't know that I have. I strive to love God unselfishly, but I'm sure there's always some sort of self centered motives behind things I do. It makes me sad, it truly does. I have begun to realize lately that to truly be a light in this world I've been placed in, I have to stop striving to be better; I need to cease everything in my life and concentrate on one thing: learning to love. "Everything works together for good for those who love God." It doesn't say "well, you may not be blessed with much but at least you'll have warm fuzzies." No, "EVERYTHINGworks together for good..."
God desires to love and bless us; He WANTS to teach us. The question we must now ask ourselves is, do we want Him to? The relationship we have with God is built on love. Everything He did was out of love, which means for us to be Christ-like we must base our lives on love.
Now, this doesn't mean we should be peace-sign-holding-everything-is-just-great-we-should-all-just-love kind of people. No, we still have to stand up for what's right, have convictions and be able to speak the truth boldly even if we step on a few toes, but everything we do should be done IN love.
When we start putting other people above ourselves, then we can truly feel alive and free because we no longer have bitterness and hatred built up in that heart of ours, but pure love. It will not contaminate and poison us from the inside out like hatred and bitterness. It will not eat us alive turning us into darkness.
"God is love." It is SO simple. God loved you, God died for you, God wants you to feel His love and acceptance. Every. Single. Day.
Go back to the time and place you first found Jesus and made Him a permanent part of your life. I didn't cry because I found a new person to get acceptance from. I cried because I realize it wasn't just "some people" that killed the One Living God. It was me. I killed Him. Because of my sin He chose to die in my place. I cried because I was so happy, because I finally realized WHO God was, and the very thought of HIM loving me was just overwhelming. ME. Even though I have hurt Him, been angry at Him, went the opposite way He told me to go, and even though MY sin nailed Him to the cross...He still loved me. He will love me every day of my life regardless of what I do.
THAT is true love.
I love this song that Starfield sings, because the lyrics are just so amazing. They say, "Jesus You have me completely, every breath that I breathe, I am absolutely in Love with You." We SHOULD be completely in love with Jesus! It's not weird or unusual, because He is God. How would
I took a little of the lyrics from the song I mentioned in the beginning and have made them into a prayer, because in all honesty they truly were thought provoking.
Dear Lord,
"I want to know what love is. I want YOU to show me." I want you to guide me into a loving mind-set every day that I am blessed enough to wake up to another morning. I want my life to be like Yours, not living for anything in and of myself, but to show others the passionate love You give me each and every day. Cleanse and make my heart pure and fill it with You and You alone.
Amen.
Love, in short, is Jesus.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Want Vs. Need
I look around me at everything in piles; the huge amount of "stuff" I have collected over my lifetime. Some things make me smile while others cause a sigh to escape my lips. "Why do I feel the need to have so much?" I ask myself. Often I hear the excuses rolling through my head, "well God says He will provide everything I need, so this must all be from Him." Then another voice comes in and says, "why do you feel the need to "have" when there are so many you could bless by simply "giving"?"
I have been brought into a world where giving has gone out of style as fast as big hair from the 80's. The word "need" has been twisted so much that nobody really knows what it means anymore.
This generation of kids (all the way up to people in their 20's) are a generation who are being shown the wrong way to live. They are given the example of parents who fight more than they love, they are shown if things get bad enough then divorce is perfectly acceptable and that God is okay with it, they are shown no self control because their parents go and do what they want with money they don't have, college is mainly a place to go have a cool experience and the kids learn nothing, they are given what they want with no expectation of hard work. When are we going to see that we are ruining a generation that could turn the world around? We have more knowledge and more resources to do MORE for Christ, yet we take it and use it for personal gain. We do not give freely of our love, money, time or resources unless we are given something in return.
What would that look like if Jesus tried it on us? We would be destined for HELL, because we can give NOTHING that He needs. He has everything He needs.
The truth is, He isn't even slightly similar to us because He CHOSE to come and die for us. He CHOSE to be beaten. He CHOSE to be mocked. He CHOSE to die through the most painful death. He CHOSE to let the tree live and grow that He would hang on one day. He had friends turn on Him, teachers and "preachers" accuse Him falsely; He had people use His name as an expression for filth and disgust. If it were you and I, I guarantee we would say "forget it! These people deserve what's coming to them, I won't take another minute of this humiliation!"
But that's the difference between you and I and God, isn't it? He didn't think about Himself. Not for one second. His life was lived and given up for YOU.
Would you like to know what the true meaning to the word "need" is?
* A Savior for our hateful, wicked sins against Jesus. (We NEED a Savior.)
These are what we think of as needs:
I NEED a new car.
I NEED more time.
I NEED more toys.
I NEED more money.
I NEED more clothes.
I NEED a better phone.
I NEED a bigger house.
Honestly, we do not need any of these things.
We do not NEED a new car.
We do not NEED more time.
We do not NEED more toys.
We do not NEED more money.
We do not NEED more clothes.
We do not NEED a better phone.
We do not NEED a bigger house.
Amazingly enough, people live every day for a full lifetime without all of these things. We do what we want. It's that simple.
-We buy more things because we want to
-We don't make time for important things because we don't want to
"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."
~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
God has given us the blessing (and hardship) of choosing what we do with the time we have on this earth. YOU are the one who decides what your life will look like. Does it look more like YOU, or HIM?
I have been brought into a world where giving has gone out of style as fast as big hair from the 80's. The word "need" has been twisted so much that nobody really knows what it means anymore.
This generation of kids (all the way up to people in their 20's) are a generation who are being shown the wrong way to live. They are given the example of parents who fight more than they love, they are shown if things get bad enough then divorce is perfectly acceptable and that God is okay with it, they are shown no self control because their parents go and do what they want with money they don't have, college is mainly a place to go have a cool experience and the kids learn nothing, they are given what they want with no expectation of hard work. When are we going to see that we are ruining a generation that could turn the world around? We have more knowledge and more resources to do MORE for Christ, yet we take it and use it for personal gain. We do not give freely of our love, money, time or resources unless we are given something in return.
What would that look like if Jesus tried it on us? We would be destined for HELL, because we can give NOTHING that He needs. He has everything He needs.
The truth is, He isn't even slightly similar to us because He CHOSE to come and die for us. He CHOSE to be beaten. He CHOSE to be mocked. He CHOSE to die through the most painful death. He CHOSE to let the tree live and grow that He would hang on one day. He had friends turn on Him, teachers and "preachers" accuse Him falsely; He had people use His name as an expression for filth and disgust. If it were you and I, I guarantee we would say "forget it! These people deserve what's coming to them, I won't take another minute of this humiliation!"
But that's the difference between you and I and God, isn't it? He didn't think about Himself. Not for one second. His life was lived and given up for YOU.
Would you like to know what the true meaning to the word "need" is?
* A Savior for our hateful, wicked sins against Jesus. (We NEED a Savior.)
These are what we think of as needs:
I NEED a new car.
I NEED more time.
I NEED more toys.
I NEED more money.
I NEED more clothes.
I NEED a better phone.
I NEED a bigger house.
Honestly, we do not need any of these things.
We do not NEED a new car.
We do not NEED more time.
We do not NEED more toys.
We do not NEED more money.
We do not NEED more clothes.
We do not NEED a better phone.
We do not NEED a bigger house.
Amazingly enough, people live every day for a full lifetime without all of these things. We do what we want. It's that simple.
-We buy more things because we want to
-We don't make time for important things because we don't want to
"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."
~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
God has given us the blessing (and hardship) of choosing what we do with the time we have on this earth. YOU are the one who decides what your life will look like. Does it look more like YOU, or HIM?
Sunday, March 4, 2012
ONE Simple Way To Joy
I think back to the amount of time I spend doing certain things in my life; I ask myself "what have I spent most of my life thinking about?" In all honesty, I'm a girl, so most of it has been whether or not I'd get married and what the guy would be like if I were to find myself there. I've spent most of my life literally chasing after a guy I don't even know. And for what? To still be here alone and still not know who he is.
The verse constantly comes to mind "where your treasure is there will your heart be also." Yes, my heart is placed in the hands of a man I don't even know exists. I've been thinking a lot about this lately, and I've come to a big conclusion: My heart belongs to God. Or at least, it SHOULD. It was His the day I gave my life to Him, but handing it over to Him should be something I do every day. I can't just say it's His once and it be done. My heart is human and tends to wander. If you don't let God lead your heart, you will start to follow IT instead of HIM. Emotions are a dangerous thing and should always be taken to God before there is any kind of action.
I've listened to so many people for way too long on what true happiness actually means. It doesn't mean planning my life around someone only to be dumped, it doesn't mean dating as many guys as possible before I settle down, it doesn't mean having a job or moving out of my parents house; it doesn't mean going to party after party or trying new things as I get older just to have the "experience." None of these things can make a person truly happy. Sure, you might get some enjoyment at first, but it will only fade and you will long for more and more as time goes by.
To find happiness, as humans, we need something that will last and continue getting better as we grow. That "something" is what everyone looks for these days but seldom find it. Do you want to be honest with yourself, or make believe that you're really happy with how you're living? You and I need God. He is the only thing that can fill our life with pure, true, raw joy. It is joy that hasn't been twisted or conformed by man, it is untouched and beautiful. Finding "happiness" and finding "joy" are two completely different things. I can be happy for a short time here and there throughout my day, but when I am joyful it lasts and lasts. There is nothing that can take it away because it is not man made.
"You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures evermore. " -Psalm 16:11
"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." -John 15:11
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." James 1:2
Joy doesn't mean everything in our life is going perfect, but rather, with everything in our life we're trusting the ONE who is perfect! Christ is there, has already fought and won our battles. He has overcome the enemy and given us life that will never end. How can we not be joyful about that? I often think my life is hard because I have so many battles to fight, but it's because I'm allowing them to be battles. I find things that I create into a battle in my mind when in reality if I would hand all of those things over to God, He would tell me that it is all taken care of. Bad things will happen, but He promises He will not forget us. *I* should not have battles but, should I encounter something I think might be one, I hand it straight over to CHRIST. For He is the only One who has the power to win them.
My life is not about me, my future man, my family, my goals or my friends. It is about HIS life, HIS plan for a man, HIS future, HIS goals, HIS family, and HIS friends. The minute I realize it's not about ME, only HIM, the other parts of my life will start to fall into the correct slots. I will begin to find a deeper meaning in my life, deeper relationships with my family and friends, my future will change because my outlook has changed; I will focus on honoring and pleasing HIM.
After all of that, HE will give me joy. Once I begin to desire HIM over me I become filled with joy. His love for us is so deep, so pure that is should cause us to be filled with such a huge amount of joy that it's overwhelming.
"I am pleased with you, my child. Though you are till a work in progress, you desire for Me to sanctify you- to make you holy. My sacrifice for sins made you eternally perfect the instant you trusted Me as Savior. This sacrifice was perfect because I am perfect and I am your Substitute in the courts of heaven. However, as long as you live in this world, you inhabit the not yet of brokenness- in you and all around you. This explains the emptiness you often feel as you long for both your perfection in holiness and your perfect home in heaven.
The best way to enhance My sanctifying work in you is to love Me with all your heart and mind- with your entire being and all your might. King David expressed such ardor when he leapt and danced before Me with all his might. In spite of the serious sins he committed, he was a man after My own heart.
Instead of focusing on all the brokenness in and around you, fan the flames of your love for Me. Though this love may be like the flickering flame of a candle, My Love for you is like a blazing forest fire. Come more and more into My passionate Presence, and My holy Fire will ignite holy ardor in you." -Sarah Young
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation." -1 Peter 4:12-13
The verse constantly comes to mind "where your treasure is there will your heart be also." Yes, my heart is placed in the hands of a man I don't even know exists. I've been thinking a lot about this lately, and I've come to a big conclusion: My heart belongs to God. Or at least, it SHOULD. It was His the day I gave my life to Him, but handing it over to Him should be something I do every day. I can't just say it's His once and it be done. My heart is human and tends to wander. If you don't let God lead your heart, you will start to follow IT instead of HIM. Emotions are a dangerous thing and should always be taken to God before there is any kind of action.
I've listened to so many people for way too long on what true happiness actually means. It doesn't mean planning my life around someone only to be dumped, it doesn't mean dating as many guys as possible before I settle down, it doesn't mean having a job or moving out of my parents house; it doesn't mean going to party after party or trying new things as I get older just to have the "experience." None of these things can make a person truly happy. Sure, you might get some enjoyment at first, but it will only fade and you will long for more and more as time goes by.
To find happiness, as humans, we need something that will last and continue getting better as we grow. That "something" is what everyone looks for these days but seldom find it. Do you want to be honest with yourself, or make believe that you're really happy with how you're living? You and I need God. He is the only thing that can fill our life with pure, true, raw joy. It is joy that hasn't been twisted or conformed by man, it is untouched and beautiful. Finding "happiness" and finding "joy" are two completely different things. I can be happy for a short time here and there throughout my day, but when I am joyful it lasts and lasts. There is nothing that can take it away because it is not man made.
"You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures evermore. " -Psalm 16:11
"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." -John 15:11
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." James 1:2
Joy doesn't mean everything in our life is going perfect, but rather, with everything in our life we're trusting the ONE who is perfect! Christ is there, has already fought and won our battles. He has overcome the enemy and given us life that will never end. How can we not be joyful about that? I often think my life is hard because I have so many battles to fight, but it's because I'm allowing them to be battles. I find things that I create into a battle in my mind when in reality if I would hand all of those things over to God, He would tell me that it is all taken care of. Bad things will happen, but He promises He will not forget us. *I* should not have battles but, should I encounter something I think might be one, I hand it straight over to CHRIST. For He is the only One who has the power to win them.
My life is not about me, my future man, my family, my goals or my friends. It is about HIS life, HIS plan for a man, HIS future, HIS goals, HIS family, and HIS friends. The minute I realize it's not about ME, only HIM, the other parts of my life will start to fall into the correct slots. I will begin to find a deeper meaning in my life, deeper relationships with my family and friends, my future will change because my outlook has changed; I will focus on honoring and pleasing HIM.
After all of that, HE will give me joy. Once I begin to desire HIM over me I become filled with joy. His love for us is so deep, so pure that is should cause us to be filled with such a huge amount of joy that it's overwhelming.
"I am pleased with you, my child. Though you are till a work in progress, you desire for Me to sanctify you- to make you holy. My sacrifice for sins made you eternally perfect the instant you trusted Me as Savior. This sacrifice was perfect because I am perfect and I am your Substitute in the courts of heaven. However, as long as you live in this world, you inhabit the not yet of brokenness- in you and all around you. This explains the emptiness you often feel as you long for both your perfection in holiness and your perfect home in heaven.
The best way to enhance My sanctifying work in you is to love Me with all your heart and mind- with your entire being and all your might. King David expressed such ardor when he leapt and danced before Me with all his might. In spite of the serious sins he committed, he was a man after My own heart.
Instead of focusing on all the brokenness in and around you, fan the flames of your love for Me. Though this love may be like the flickering flame of a candle, My Love for you is like a blazing forest fire. Come more and more into My passionate Presence, and My holy Fire will ignite holy ardor in you." -Sarah Young
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation." -1 Peter 4:12-13
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)