Each and every new day is an exciting new challenge. These days it's more of the "challenge" than the "exciting" if I'm honest with myself. Getting older isn't a piece of cake or fun ride, people. I've learned that the long way around. Thinking the older I get the more things I get to do; that's all very well and true, but it also means I've got a lot more responsibility and expectations. Every month, that picture I had in my head as a little girl of how fun adulthood was going to be, it starts to fade and morph into something much different. The stress of trying to find a way to make money, paying for new things, trying to figure out what I want to do with my life...it's all a lot to take in. People ask how my life is and I say fine, but honestly I'm just plain exhausted.
Now don't get me wrong, my life isn't awful and I'm not complaining about all of these different things. I understand fully that growing up is a rough process. Going from care free to responsibility can be a hard thing to grab a hold of. Trust me. But I've learned that if I'm ever going to make much out of my life, I can't just do my best and it be enough. I should and hope I always give my all in everything I do, but my best isn't good enough; it's as simple as that.
The bible says that in our own strength we are actually weak. That's something, isn't it? Even if I give my absolute all, it's still not good enough. This would be a huge downer to my life....if I didn't have the rest of the story. It says that because of sin, I am weak. I cannot do anything good of myself because there is no good in me. But God uses you and I both to cause good works to happen. When we put our trust in Jesus Christ we are then part of His family and He will use us as tools to accomplish great things.
My goals and dreams are often smashed to pieces before they are even thought about for 5 minutes because of my fear of man. I get so squeamish when I think about talking to people I don't know, having to carry on a conversation with a stranger or go up and help someone I don't know. I worry about what I will do, where I will end up, what job I'll get, how much I need to save, how little I make, etc, etc, etc. Yes, the list goes on and on. These, of course, aren't the right attitudes at all.
#1, "The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted." -Proverbs 29:25 I should never fear man. Ever. Period.
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." - 1 John 4:18 Because I have Christ in me, I have perfect love. His love can and will cast out my fear; first I must give Him every fear and worry that I've held onto with a tight grip. I have very small hands but when it comes to hanging on to things, my grip can be deathly. I will grasp that thing until I get too miserable and tired of squeezing anymore. That is when God finally gets to me enough to release it all into His hands.
#2, My job is to grow. Not only as a human being but as a Christian, as well. Sitting at home all day whittling my thumbs isn't going to grow me any at all. To grow I must explore, learn and try new things.
"When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things." - 1 Corinthians 13:11
#3, I worry way too much. I completely understand the need to know how to help provide, whether it be for my family someday, being a mom (or if need be, getting a job when times are hard), or simply providing for myself. I need to know how to work. I need to use the gifts God has given me and plug them into an outlet that uses them in the best way possible. I can also only do so much. I'm only so big and my voice is only so loud. I can't make people give me a job or tell them to give me money. I also believe it's important to wait on the Lord for anything concerning financial matters. (This, of course, isn't to say I just need to sit at home and wait for a job to be set in my lap free and easy.)
The bible does touch on this subject a few times.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ...
It's not my job to worry about providing. I can do my part in following where God leads me, work hard and go outside my comfort zone, but the worry is not for me to hold. It's all in God's hands, no matter how hard I pull it away, He will always have a hand in my life.
So, the encouragement I've found in Jesus is this: It doesn't matter how many people tell me I need to get a job or that I should move out and be on my own. It doesn't matter how many friends of mine have done it or how many are planning on doing it. It doesn't matter how what others tell me, just so long as I am following God and His will for MY life. Because honestly when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter what people tell me my life should be/look like. My life should be right in the eyes of God, not man.
My life may not be easy, but I am blessed far more abundantly that many people in this world today. I have a family and amazing friends; I have more stuff than anyone needs and more money than loads of people. God gives strengths to some people, and patience to others. He gives when we need it and takes away when we don't.
I pray that I would keep my eyes on the goal: following Jesus. I don't want to follow the world...they won't ever lead me in the right direction. No matter how much pressure I have against me, it can all be released into the hands of Jesus.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Just in case you've been thinking...
I think about this on occasion and thought I would go ahead and share some of my reasons for how I write. I know several times people have told me they took my writing a certain way when it was never my intention to sound like that.
I used to have a habit of constantly writing about what "you" should do or how to fix "your" problems and I'm afraid it often came across as me thinking I had all of the answers. I have tried to turn it around and use things such as "I need to work on ____" or "if only I would do ____" just so everyone knows I'm not trying to say I have all the answers about all of the problems we face, or that I have figured out my life and the complications in it. Because I haven't. God knows I haven't done that!
Also, when I mention things I went through or problems I face I want you all to know I do that not so I can get everyone feeling sorry for me, but to let those who are struggling know they aren't alone; that everyone has hardships and rough patches in life but to remind everyone, and myself, that God is in control. I want to encourage everyone that no matter how great people think your life looks, everyone has problems. I mention my mistakes so there is no way anyone could say I think I'm perfect or have it all figured out, not to throw a pity party.
I will admit I may not always have the best balance for all of these things, but I really do care about my readers and what they're going through. Even though the things you go through are totally different than what I will go through, whether worse or not, we all have moments of needing encouragement.
My blog is a place for me to write my thoughts, "revelations" I experience in life, and struggles I have come through with the strength from God. It is not a self-help book or a list of things to do or not to do.
I'm not perfect, I will be the first to admit I probably have things figured out less than most people and that I certainly make my fair share of mistakes. But God is good and uses everything for His glory.
So, that's why I share the way I do...in case you were wondering.
I used to have a habit of constantly writing about what "you" should do or how to fix "your" problems and I'm afraid it often came across as me thinking I had all of the answers. I have tried to turn it around and use things such as "I need to work on ____" or "if only I would do ____" just so everyone knows I'm not trying to say I have all the answers about all of the problems we face, or that I have figured out my life and the complications in it. Because I haven't. God knows I haven't done that!
Also, when I mention things I went through or problems I face I want you all to know I do that not so I can get everyone feeling sorry for me, but to let those who are struggling know they aren't alone; that everyone has hardships and rough patches in life but to remind everyone, and myself, that God is in control. I want to encourage everyone that no matter how great people think your life looks, everyone has problems. I mention my mistakes so there is no way anyone could say I think I'm perfect or have it all figured out, not to throw a pity party.
I will admit I may not always have the best balance for all of these things, but I really do care about my readers and what they're going through. Even though the things you go through are totally different than what I will go through, whether worse or not, we all have moments of needing encouragement.
My blog is a place for me to write my thoughts, "revelations" I experience in life, and struggles I have come through with the strength from God. It is not a self-help book or a list of things to do or not to do.
I'm not perfect, I will be the first to admit I probably have things figured out less than most people and that I certainly make my fair share of mistakes. But God is good and uses everything for His glory.
So, that's why I share the way I do...in case you were wondering.
Good vs. Evil
When people think of a battle or war, their first thought isn't of spiritual things. It's of a physical battle between people who have disagreed or argued to a point where war is the only rational option. Normally good vs. evil. Unfortunately, the "good guys" don't always win the battles here on earth. Many peoples lives are lost in the wars and sometimes we will lose the battle. It's sad, but very true.
When a soldier goes into battle he doesn't think of himself, his wants or needs. His mind is on the job at hand; winning the battle. As Christians, we are constantly in a battle, one to be fought for the Lord of Lords Himself. We are to keep at the forefront of our mind the goal and we mustn't ever give up hope of winning.
This battle is very different from any other battle because to fight and win, we must first die; die to ourselves and everything we want. Once we have given our life over to the Lord, we automatically signed up for the battle. Our weapon is love, our shield is faith and our clothes are the blood of the Lamb, covering us fully. Protecting us from the evil of the enemy.
Now, just like in any other war situation we will face many hardships. We will lose solders, faith in our abilities and at times even our hope of ever winning. Here's the good part, the one thing that sets this war apart from any other; we know the ending. Yep. It's pretty amazing. We already know what is going to happen in the end. God has told us that He will come again, reign over the whole earth, smite the enemy and have victory over evil for eternity.
In the mean time, we have been given instructions, our orders for service, so to speak.
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." -Mark 16:15
This is very important. The root of every command. Our job is to tell the world about this war, and save their lives by showing them the victory we've been shown. The love we've been given. The faith we have in our King.
"There is no wisdom and no understanding and no counsel against the LORD. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the LORD." -Proverbs 21:30-31
Nothing is greater than the Lord. That is the first thing we must understand. There is no man on the face of this earth that has so much wisdom it outweighs God's, there is not a single soul who has understanding of enough things to even begin to come close to God's. There are those think they are prepared for battling the Lord, those who think their knowledge and "wisdom" are their way to win against Him, but they don't even have a chance. They have no hope. God has the victory; it is as though it has already happened. When God says something will happen, it is not a guess or estimation, it is a fact and as sure as I am sitting here, it will happen no matter what man does to try and stop it.
"As for God, His way is blameless; the word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God, the God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great. You enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped. I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were consumed. I shattered them, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me." -Psalm 18:30-39
Again here, it states that God has given us everything we need (including Himself). He has made us strong through His mighty power, all who follow Him. His children are His solders, and He guards them each step of the way, protecting them from the fiery darts of the enemy.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." -Ephesians 6:10-17
This is our packing list; the things we will need for our battle. If you look closely, though, these things aren't material. They are the kind of protection that is given by the Lord. We don't need a bunch of baggage to carry around with us nor do we need heavy armor. All we need is the Lord and He will provide everything we need.
There are many reasons the weapons and protection we are given are not things that we can necessarily see, but more that we can feel and have faith in. You see, this battle we are all fighting is not one that can be won by physically fighting the enemy. But spiritually fighting. "With all prayer and supplication." We are fighting a very large spiritual battle every night we sleep and every day we wake up.
"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin." -Romans 7:14-26
Our battle daily will be one of the devil fighting us with temptations, sending things our way hoping we will give in to the fleshly desires in our heart to disobey God's law. Every day he will fight and fight. He will brew bitterness, unforgiveness, disloyalty, false words, lies, disgrace, un-loving acts and words and anything else he can get to get to our hearts. He will throw "fiery darts" of lies and filthy words into our head until we give in to his words. We become as the very people we are angry towards. We turn into bitter beings, like cinnamon on our tongues; tasteless, burning, unsweetened. He will tell us lies of our self-worth, that we aren't truly forgiven for our mistakes...he uses anything in our past and hopes we have for the future to tear our walls down and keep us from the faith and strength we have in the Lord.
So many days and nights of my life have been spent dealing with voices in my head, Satan just pounding me with lies. Many times I tried to take things into my own hands to get rid of them, but they were still there, I worked in vain. He would remind me of all my mistakes, all my hurts and scars, all of my unworthiness. Then when he stopped for a minute to take a breath I would hear a small whisper telling me to throw those words out and turn my heart back over to the Lord. Mistakes are some of Satan's biggest weapons. I can't stop making them no matter how hard I try, but I can be forgiven from them and forget about every single one of them because God has told me He will do just that.
The voices will try to overtake your life...they will drag you down lower and lower, deeper and deeper into depression.
But hear me out; the day that we call on the name of the Lord, He will set us free.
If the voices of Satan are constantly floating through your head, taking away your peace and life, all you have to do is call on the name of the Lord. He will smash the enemy beneath His feet and mute the lies. His promise is that we have been forgiven, we are loved, and that our battle is not being fought in vain. We can hope for our future because we have hope in our Lord. We can love those who are un-loveable because we have been loved when we were un-loveable. We can forgive because we have been forgiven.
We are all in this battle together. Our job is to tell other people about Christ, give them the hope we have in us so they can be on the winning side, so they don't have to face an eternity in the lake of fire. In the midst of fighting for other people's lives we will be wrestling with problems of our own; the enemy will try to ruin our hearts. Keep the armor of the Lord around you, the words of the Father on your heart and the forgiveness of the Son of God in your mind.
"Never give up, never give up, never give up."
The victory is already ours! But we can still save the lives of those who are willing to come join us.
When a soldier goes into battle he doesn't think of himself, his wants or needs. His mind is on the job at hand; winning the battle. As Christians, we are constantly in a battle, one to be fought for the Lord of Lords Himself. We are to keep at the forefront of our mind the goal and we mustn't ever give up hope of winning.
This battle is very different from any other battle because to fight and win, we must first die; die to ourselves and everything we want. Once we have given our life over to the Lord, we automatically signed up for the battle. Our weapon is love, our shield is faith and our clothes are the blood of the Lamb, covering us fully. Protecting us from the evil of the enemy.
Now, just like in any other war situation we will face many hardships. We will lose solders, faith in our abilities and at times even our hope of ever winning. Here's the good part, the one thing that sets this war apart from any other; we know the ending. Yep. It's pretty amazing. We already know what is going to happen in the end. God has told us that He will come again, reign over the whole earth, smite the enemy and have victory over evil for eternity.
In the mean time, we have been given instructions, our orders for service, so to speak.
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." -Mark 16:15
This is very important. The root of every command. Our job is to tell the world about this war, and save their lives by showing them the victory we've been shown. The love we've been given. The faith we have in our King.
"There is no wisdom and no understanding and no counsel against the LORD. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the LORD." -Proverbs 21:30-31
Nothing is greater than the Lord. That is the first thing we must understand. There is no man on the face of this earth that has so much wisdom it outweighs God's, there is not a single soul who has understanding of enough things to even begin to come close to God's. There are those think they are prepared for battling the Lord, those who think their knowledge and "wisdom" are their way to win against Him, but they don't even have a chance. They have no hope. God has the victory; it is as though it has already happened. When God says something will happen, it is not a guess or estimation, it is a fact and as sure as I am sitting here, it will happen no matter what man does to try and stop it.
"As for God, His way is blameless; the word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God, the God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great. You enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped. I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were consumed. I shattered them, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me." -Psalm 18:30-39
Again here, it states that God has given us everything we need (including Himself). He has made us strong through His mighty power, all who follow Him. His children are His solders, and He guards them each step of the way, protecting them from the fiery darts of the enemy.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." -Ephesians 6:10-17
This is our packing list; the things we will need for our battle. If you look closely, though, these things aren't material. They are the kind of protection that is given by the Lord. We don't need a bunch of baggage to carry around with us nor do we need heavy armor. All we need is the Lord and He will provide everything we need.
There are many reasons the weapons and protection we are given are not things that we can necessarily see, but more that we can feel and have faith in. You see, this battle we are all fighting is not one that can be won by physically fighting the enemy. But spiritually fighting. "With all prayer and supplication." We are fighting a very large spiritual battle every night we sleep and every day we wake up.
"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin." -Romans 7:14-26
Our battle daily will be one of the devil fighting us with temptations, sending things our way hoping we will give in to the fleshly desires in our heart to disobey God's law. Every day he will fight and fight. He will brew bitterness, unforgiveness, disloyalty, false words, lies, disgrace, un-loving acts and words and anything else he can get to get to our hearts. He will throw "fiery darts" of lies and filthy words into our head until we give in to his words. We become as the very people we are angry towards. We turn into bitter beings, like cinnamon on our tongues; tasteless, burning, unsweetened. He will tell us lies of our self-worth, that we aren't truly forgiven for our mistakes...he uses anything in our past and hopes we have for the future to tear our walls down and keep us from the faith and strength we have in the Lord.
So many days and nights of my life have been spent dealing with voices in my head, Satan just pounding me with lies. Many times I tried to take things into my own hands to get rid of them, but they were still there, I worked in vain. He would remind me of all my mistakes, all my hurts and scars, all of my unworthiness. Then when he stopped for a minute to take a breath I would hear a small whisper telling me to throw those words out and turn my heart back over to the Lord. Mistakes are some of Satan's biggest weapons. I can't stop making them no matter how hard I try, but I can be forgiven from them and forget about every single one of them because God has told me He will do just that.
The voices will try to overtake your life...they will drag you down lower and lower, deeper and deeper into depression.
But hear me out; the day that we call on the name of the Lord, He will set us free.
If the voices of Satan are constantly floating through your head, taking away your peace and life, all you have to do is call on the name of the Lord. He will smash the enemy beneath His feet and mute the lies. His promise is that we have been forgiven, we are loved, and that our battle is not being fought in vain. We can hope for our future because we have hope in our Lord. We can love those who are un-loveable because we have been loved when we were un-loveable. We can forgive because we have been forgiven.
We are all in this battle together. Our job is to tell other people about Christ, give them the hope we have in us so they can be on the winning side, so they don't have to face an eternity in the lake of fire. In the midst of fighting for other people's lives we will be wrestling with problems of our own; the enemy will try to ruin our hearts. Keep the armor of the Lord around you, the words of the Father on your heart and the forgiveness of the Son of God in your mind.
"Never give up, never give up, never give up."
The victory is already ours! But we can still save the lives of those who are willing to come join us.
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