"What is distracting you from being faithful to what He is calling you to do". ~Dr.George Miller III
Every time New Years Day comes around people talk about their New Year's Resolutions. Sometimes people make really good commitments, but after the holiday buzz wears off and everyone goes back to their normal schedules, those commitments seem to go out the window. I never really make a New Year's Resolution, but I do make mental goals of where I want to be by next year. This year my commitment is to make 2013 be the year that I will walk closest to Christ than I ever have before. But in order to do that God revealed to me something that I have to do first. He used a message that was preached by my pastor to show me where I was falling short. The problem I had was distractions. We all face things that are distractions, it becomes a problem when those distractions distract us from hearing God's call on our life or when they take our focus off of Christ. Satan can use seemly good things to distract us just enough that we are not then fulfilling what God wants us to do.
So what I decided to do was to pray and write out a list of the things that distracted me from Christ. There were a number of things and everyone's list will be different. It could be friends, guys, jobs, movies, books, music, just about anything. Once you have that list written down in front of you, you will be surprised at just how much you have going against you. How many things there are that distract you from God. Somethings that distract you are possible to eliminate from your life. Other things you may not be able to get rid of, but you can lessen how much of your life they take up. One of my biggest distractions was not something material, but rather, it was my thought life. There were particular things that were taking up too much of my thoughts and were distracting me so I could not hear what God wanted from me. It was interfering with my relationship with Him because instead of spending time with Him, or worshipping Him I was too busy thinking about these other things. Something like that you can't just eliminate, I have to retrain my thought pattern. When I catch my thoughts wandering into those subjects, I have to purposely bring my thoughts back to God. Whether I use a verse I am trying to memorize or a worship song or pray, I have to do something to bring my thoughts back to Christ. The thoughts you are struggling with may not even be bad or sinful, but if they are distracting you from God then Satan is succeeding in his mission.
What are your goals for 2013? Is it your hearts desire to have this year be the year that you walk closest with God? The year that you really hear and respond to His call for your life? The year that you develop the most intimate relationship with Him that you have ever had before? Maybe this will be the year that you start a relationship with Christ. We know that God's purpose for every Christian is to deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me (Matthew 16:24b). Will you make this year count? Make a list of what is distracting you, get rid of those distractions, and faithfully go and do what God is calling you to do. He calls each of us to do something, the question is will you obey....
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Can anybody hear me???
Many of us have heard the song from Casting Crowns, "Does Anybody Hear Her?" Read through the lyrics carefully...how many of us can honestly relate to this??
"She is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction. She is trying but the canyon's ever widening in the depths of her cold heart. So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
she's another two years older, and she's three more steps behind...
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Or does anybody even know she's going down today.
Under the shadow of our steeple, with all the lost and lonely people, searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning, for shelter and affection that she never found at home. She is searching for a hero to ride in to ride in and save the day. And in walks her prince charming and he knows just what to say
momentary lapse of reason and she gives herself away...
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple with all the lost and lonely people searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?........." (Casting Crowns)
So many times when we are going through a trial in life we feel like we are all alone. We don't share with people simply because we feel we can't. We feel that if we tell people what is really going on, then they won't understand or, worse, that they really won't care. I have been there myself many times. Growing up in church I remember always looking around at the "picture perfect" families in church...the ones with a dad, a stay-at-home mom, lots of brothers and sisters, a dog, the whole nine yards. I remember thinking things like "they have no idea what reality is like", "what did I do wrong to deserve this?", "it's just not fair, why do they have it so easy?"..on and on...you get the picture. Obviously now that I am older I realize no family is perfect. But it is true that God has different people walk through different trials. My friends who have a dad will never know the issues that come with not having one. And that is great! No girl should have to walk through that. But there were so many times (and still are) when I feel like people don't really know me. Times where I feel like I just want to cry out and talk to people from church about what I am feeling and have them pray with me. But I don't. And I know that is because I think they won't understand. I have shared a few things with girls from "typical" Christian homes, and when I did, they didn't get it. But it was through all of this that God has shown me that I shouldn't be going to people as my source...I should be going to Him. He wants to help, He wants to heal. But He can't unless I go to Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says, Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. For me, it took not having a person to cry with, for me to cry out to God. As I pray and continue to seek Him I wonder how many girls are in the same situation as me....how many girls out there have had the same thoughts...how many girls can relate to this song...how many girls have cried out "can anybody hear me?!?" God wants you to go to Him. He does give us Christian friends and if you have one that you are comfortable confiding in that is great! But they can't be your source. He has to be your source.
This brings me to my last thought. God has each of us walk a certain path for a reason. For me, I know that He will use the things that I have walked through to reach out to girls in single parent homes, girls without dads. I have such a passion for that ministry. I can relate to the girls and I can empathize with them. That is something most of my Christian friends could do not with me. Sure they could sympathize with me, but they could not empathize with me. Anytime that Satan starts to bog you down with your past, remember that God can turn it into good and use it for His Glory! Whether He does or not is up to us; whether we let Him or not.
Run to Him! Cry out to Him! Let Him use you!
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
"She is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction. She is trying but the canyon's ever widening in the depths of her cold heart. So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
she's another two years older, and she's three more steps behind...
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Or does anybody even know she's going down today.
Under the shadow of our steeple, with all the lost and lonely people, searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
She is yearning, for shelter and affection that she never found at home. She is searching for a hero to ride in to ride in and save the day. And in walks her prince charming and he knows just what to say
momentary lapse of reason and she gives herself away...
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple with all the lost and lonely people searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?........." (Casting Crowns)
So many times when we are going through a trial in life we feel like we are all alone. We don't share with people simply because we feel we can't. We feel that if we tell people what is really going on, then they won't understand or, worse, that they really won't care. I have been there myself many times. Growing up in church I remember always looking around at the "picture perfect" families in church...the ones with a dad, a stay-at-home mom, lots of brothers and sisters, a dog, the whole nine yards. I remember thinking things like "they have no idea what reality is like", "what did I do wrong to deserve this?", "it's just not fair, why do they have it so easy?"..on and on...you get the picture. Obviously now that I am older I realize no family is perfect. But it is true that God has different people walk through different trials. My friends who have a dad will never know the issues that come with not having one. And that is great! No girl should have to walk through that. But there were so many times (and still are) when I feel like people don't really know me. Times where I feel like I just want to cry out and talk to people from church about what I am feeling and have them pray with me. But I don't. And I know that is because I think they won't understand. I have shared a few things with girls from "typical" Christian homes, and when I did, they didn't get it. But it was through all of this that God has shown me that I shouldn't be going to people as my source...I should be going to Him. He wants to help, He wants to heal. But He can't unless I go to Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says, Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. For me, it took not having a person to cry with, for me to cry out to God. As I pray and continue to seek Him I wonder how many girls are in the same situation as me....how many girls out there have had the same thoughts...how many girls can relate to this song...how many girls have cried out "can anybody hear me?!?" God wants you to go to Him. He does give us Christian friends and if you have one that you are comfortable confiding in that is great! But they can't be your source. He has to be your source.
This brings me to my last thought. God has each of us walk a certain path for a reason. For me, I know that He will use the things that I have walked through to reach out to girls in single parent homes, girls without dads. I have such a passion for that ministry. I can relate to the girls and I can empathize with them. That is something most of my Christian friends could do not with me. Sure they could sympathize with me, but they could not empathize with me. Anytime that Satan starts to bog you down with your past, remember that God can turn it into good and use it for His Glory! Whether He does or not is up to us; whether we let Him or not.
Run to Him! Cry out to Him! Let Him use you!
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Letting go....
Psalm 18:6-In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears.
Sometimes that hardest thing to do is to let go. Life is filled with hurts and disappointments. The problem is we have a tendency to hold onto things. When someone hurts us deeply we clutch onto that hurt and hold onto is for a long time. We think that if we let it go then it's pretending it never happened. We are hurt and we can't ignore that. Letting go doesn't mean that the hurt or disappointment never happened. So what are we suppose to do? You have heard the saying "Let go and let God". That is so much easier said than done. For the longest time I didn't know how to let things go. People around me said that I needed to "get over it"; that I needed to just "forget it and move on". But I didn't know how. I was so tired of people telling me what I needed to do but not telling me how to do it. So what did I do? I cried out to God and I kept seeking Him trying to figure out what I needed to do. How do I let things go? It took me awhile but I finally got it. Letting go is not a matter of a one time deal. There are many times that I let things go over and over again. I have to continually surrender it to Him. I had to learn how to let it go and allow God to heal my hurt. God can't heal your hurt if you don't go to Him and give it to Him. You have to hand your heart to Him and allow Him to heal it. God gives us other Christians for a reason, it also helps to find an older, godly, Christian woman that you can confide in, someone who will point you to Christ. Someone who will help you through the healing process and not just brush it off. Those are the two things that I learned, continual surrender and confiding in a older more mature Christian.
It is not easy. But a wound will not heal by just putting pressure on it, by stuffing your emotions inside. Just as you have to clean a wound before it can heal, God has to clean your wound before He can heal it. God uses other Christians to clean out your wound. Talking through what hurt you and facing what is going on is sometimes the hardest step to do because it makes you face the hurt and re-live what happened, but it is a necessary step in cleaning your wound. Once you do that God can start the healing process. Eventually your wound does heal and it always leaves a scar. But scars can be a good thing, they remind you of what God has done and how far He has brought you. Scars are hurts that God has turned into victories. It took me not having anyone to talk to about my hurt to really learn how to rely on God, how to run to Him, how to cleave to Him, and how to get my strength from Him. Sometimes relying on God is our last resort when it should be our first reaction. God wants you to let go of whatever has hurt you. He wants you to come to Him. He wants to heal you. He doesn't want to see you in so much pain. He wants to be able to use you! So will you let it go and give it to Him? Allow Him to deal with it, allow Him to heal you.
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
Sometimes that hardest thing to do is to let go. Life is filled with hurts and disappointments. The problem is we have a tendency to hold onto things. When someone hurts us deeply we clutch onto that hurt and hold onto is for a long time. We think that if we let it go then it's pretending it never happened. We are hurt and we can't ignore that. Letting go doesn't mean that the hurt or disappointment never happened. So what are we suppose to do? You have heard the saying "Let go and let God". That is so much easier said than done. For the longest time I didn't know how to let things go. People around me said that I needed to "get over it"; that I needed to just "forget it and move on". But I didn't know how. I was so tired of people telling me what I needed to do but not telling me how to do it. So what did I do? I cried out to God and I kept seeking Him trying to figure out what I needed to do. How do I let things go? It took me awhile but I finally got it. Letting go is not a matter of a one time deal. There are many times that I let things go over and over again. I have to continually surrender it to Him. I had to learn how to let it go and allow God to heal my hurt. God can't heal your hurt if you don't go to Him and give it to Him. You have to hand your heart to Him and allow Him to heal it. God gives us other Christians for a reason, it also helps to find an older, godly, Christian woman that you can confide in, someone who will point you to Christ. Someone who will help you through the healing process and not just brush it off. Those are the two things that I learned, continual surrender and confiding in a older more mature Christian.
It is not easy. But a wound will not heal by just putting pressure on it, by stuffing your emotions inside. Just as you have to clean a wound before it can heal, God has to clean your wound before He can heal it. God uses other Christians to clean out your wound. Talking through what hurt you and facing what is going on is sometimes the hardest step to do because it makes you face the hurt and re-live what happened, but it is a necessary step in cleaning your wound. Once you do that God can start the healing process. Eventually your wound does heal and it always leaves a scar. But scars can be a good thing, they remind you of what God has done and how far He has brought you. Scars are hurts that God has turned into victories. It took me not having anyone to talk to about my hurt to really learn how to rely on God, how to run to Him, how to cleave to Him, and how to get my strength from Him. Sometimes relying on God is our last resort when it should be our first reaction. God wants you to let go of whatever has hurt you. He wants you to come to Him. He wants to heal you. He doesn't want to see you in so much pain. He wants to be able to use you! So will you let it go and give it to Him? Allow Him to deal with it, allow Him to heal you.
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
Friday, October 19, 2012
What Are Your Priorities???
Girls,
I just wanted to encourage you to keep up with your devotion and Bible time. I know how easy it is to get distracted or to push it off to the side because we get so busy. But really, when you think about it, you make time for the important things; so when you are planning your day, how important is God to you? I can remember sitting in church when I was a little girl, and something the preacher said really convicted me. He was talking about spending time with God and specifically how we should be spending time with Him in the morning before the craziness of the day begins. He said that we put things that are important to us first; so if you start your day with spending time with God then that is proving that He is important to you. Think about it this way, do you want to give your Savior, your Prince, your God, the priority time slot or the left over time, if you happen to have any. I want to encourage you to set a time of the day that is reserved just for you and God and keep that just as you would any other appointment. If I don't do that and if I don't spend time with God first thing in the morning, then I don't get to it because I do get caught up in the business of life.
Something that I really think is important that all girls should do, is to keep a prayer journal. I have one; I just write down my prayers to God and I write about different verses or different things that He has shown me. I can't tell you how helpful this is. There are many times that I want to talk to Him about something but I can't find the words or I don't really know for sure what is on my heart, so I just take a pen and my journal and start writing...and before I know it I end up pouring my heart out to Him and I somehow find all the right words and really figure out what is on my heart. Sometimes there are things on my heart that I don't even realize. Keeping a journal also makes a good track record. You can go back and see how consistent you have been in spending time with Him and it also allows you to look back and see just how far you have come and how much you have grown! It is the most incredible feeling. Not that long ago I looked back through my old journals and I could see my growth over a period of time; where I was as compared to where I am now...it was the most amazing thing ever! :) I personally keep two journals...I have my "purity journal" and my "prayer journal". I go back every so often and read through both of them. It also helps in getting you back to where you should be. There are times that I have grown cold in my walk with Christ rather than passionately pursuing Him...I look back through my journal and I see the passion that I had before and it convicts me about where I am currently in my walk. Plus I love writing out my prayers to God because to me it seems more personal and it makes you really stop and think and not just throw a quick prayer up to Him.
So my question for you is do you have a journal? If so, if you look back and your old entries, are you consistent? Is there a consistent growth pattern throughout all of the pages? Are you consistently spending time with Him or is it hit and miss whenever you have time? How important is your Prince to you? If there was a boy that you were interested in, or possibly you are in a relationship...how much time to you spend talking to that boy and getting to know him? You want to know everything about him, right? And you want to spend as much time with him as you can and when you aren't spending time with him you are thinking about him, correct? Well, how can you do more for a boy you like than you can do for your Ultimate Prince, your Saviour who died for you!? He wants to spend time with you and He wants to have your undivided attention not whatever time you have left over. He wants to be the focus of your attention not just a side thought. Too many times we put things or people ahead of the One who really matters, myself included. So, think about your priorities and maybe you need to think about getting things (or certain people) out of your life so you can focus your devotion on Him and so that you can start building that habit. That is what I had to do. I had to get things out of my life and put certain things away and even stop talking to certain people so that I could focus solely on my Prince, my Savior. It takes a long time and hard work to build the habit, but it is an amazing journey. And once you build that habit of spending time with Him and focusing on Him..you have to fight to keep that habit because Satan will want to get you back to where you were instead of where God has you now. My advice is to find an accountability partner to help you in this process. Trust me, you won't regret it!
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
I just wanted to encourage you to keep up with your devotion and Bible time. I know how easy it is to get distracted or to push it off to the side because we get so busy. But really, when you think about it, you make time for the important things; so when you are planning your day, how important is God to you? I can remember sitting in church when I was a little girl, and something the preacher said really convicted me. He was talking about spending time with God and specifically how we should be spending time with Him in the morning before the craziness of the day begins. He said that we put things that are important to us first; so if you start your day with spending time with God then that is proving that He is important to you. Think about it this way, do you want to give your Savior, your Prince, your God, the priority time slot or the left over time, if you happen to have any. I want to encourage you to set a time of the day that is reserved just for you and God and keep that just as you would any other appointment. If I don't do that and if I don't spend time with God first thing in the morning, then I don't get to it because I do get caught up in the business of life.
Something that I really think is important that all girls should do, is to keep a prayer journal. I have one; I just write down my prayers to God and I write about different verses or different things that He has shown me. I can't tell you how helpful this is. There are many times that I want to talk to Him about something but I can't find the words or I don't really know for sure what is on my heart, so I just take a pen and my journal and start writing...and before I know it I end up pouring my heart out to Him and I somehow find all the right words and really figure out what is on my heart. Sometimes there are things on my heart that I don't even realize. Keeping a journal also makes a good track record. You can go back and see how consistent you have been in spending time with Him and it also allows you to look back and see just how far you have come and how much you have grown! It is the most incredible feeling. Not that long ago I looked back through my old journals and I could see my growth over a period of time; where I was as compared to where I am now...it was the most amazing thing ever! :) I personally keep two journals...I have my "purity journal" and my "prayer journal". I go back every so often and read through both of them. It also helps in getting you back to where you should be. There are times that I have grown cold in my walk with Christ rather than passionately pursuing Him...I look back through my journal and I see the passion that I had before and it convicts me about where I am currently in my walk. Plus I love writing out my prayers to God because to me it seems more personal and it makes you really stop and think and not just throw a quick prayer up to Him.
So my question for you is do you have a journal? If so, if you look back and your old entries, are you consistent? Is there a consistent growth pattern throughout all of the pages? Are you consistently spending time with Him or is it hit and miss whenever you have time? How important is your Prince to you? If there was a boy that you were interested in, or possibly you are in a relationship...how much time to you spend talking to that boy and getting to know him? You want to know everything about him, right? And you want to spend as much time with him as you can and when you aren't spending time with him you are thinking about him, correct? Well, how can you do more for a boy you like than you can do for your Ultimate Prince, your Saviour who died for you!? He wants to spend time with you and He wants to have your undivided attention not whatever time you have left over. He wants to be the focus of your attention not just a side thought. Too many times we put things or people ahead of the One who really matters, myself included. So, think about your priorities and maybe you need to think about getting things (or certain people) out of your life so you can focus your devotion on Him and so that you can start building that habit. That is what I had to do. I had to get things out of my life and put certain things away and even stop talking to certain people so that I could focus solely on my Prince, my Savior. It takes a long time and hard work to build the habit, but it is an amazing journey. And once you build that habit of spending time with Him and focusing on Him..you have to fight to keep that habit because Satan will want to get you back to where you were instead of where God has you now. My advice is to find an accountability partner to help you in this process. Trust me, you won't regret it!
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Faithful.....
Matthew 25:23-His lord said unto him, Well done thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Hey girls, sorry that it has been so long since I have updated my blog. With this crazy semester time has completely gotten away from me. Which really is no excuse. And that is something that God has really convicted me of. I want share what He has shown me recently.
In our verse for today we see that the servant is described as good and faithful. We are told that he was faithful even in the little things. Let's get the context of this verse. In Matthew 25 Jesus is sharing a parable. He tells of three men who were all given a different amount of talents (large sum of money). One man that received five talents, he invested them, and received five more. So he doubled what he had. The second man had two talents, invested them, and received two more. He also doubled the amount he had originally been given. But the man who received one talent was lazy, he didn't take the time to invest or do anything with what he had been given, he simply buried it. When the lord came back to check on his servants he got the report and blessed the two that had invested and now had double what he had originally given them. But the servant that buried the one talent he had been given, the lord called him a wicked and slothful servant (vs 26). You see two servants had been faithful in what they were given. They went about and used what they had for their lord, so when he returned to them, they had something to show for what he had given them. They had something to show for the time that had passed. But the servant that was given the least didn't use that time to do anything. He took the easy way out. When the lord came back he sure sounded good and gave lots of excuses. But the lord saw right through that.
When I read about this parable I wonder how many of us can relate to it. When we are truthful with ourselves, which servant are we more like? I know with me personally, I can see a little of all three in my life at different times. That is something God has convicted me about. We want Him to show us what His big plan is for our lives. We get so excited about what he is going to have us do, that we often don't stop to think about what it is that we are doing now. Like our verse talks about...the servant was faithful over a few things. When I read that verse it hit me hard. God showed me that I need to first be faithful in the little things before He is going to show me the big things. If I can't be faithful in the little things how can He be assured that I will be faithful in the big plans that He has for me. Does God have big plans for each and everyone of us??? Absolutely! But sometimes I think we don't always get there because we haven't been faithful in the little things. So what are the little things?? Well it's everything really...Bible reading, devotional time, worship, prayer, witnessing, helping others, being faithful in anything and everything that we can for Him. For me..that is this blog. How is your Bible reading lately? How is your prayer life? Are you a prayer warrior?? Do you approach things passively or passionately for Him? I know where I fall in this category and I know there are things I need to work on. And with prayer, hard work, and looking for Christ for strength I can overcome lazy and bad habits. It is so important for us to take a step back and evaluate our spiritual walk with Christ every so often and find out where we are at. This is part of what God has convicted me on.
I will leave you with one last question that He showed me the other day....Is your faith a part of you or does it define you??
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
Hey girls, sorry that it has been so long since I have updated my blog. With this crazy semester time has completely gotten away from me. Which really is no excuse. And that is something that God has really convicted me of. I want share what He has shown me recently.
In our verse for today we see that the servant is described as good and faithful. We are told that he was faithful even in the little things. Let's get the context of this verse. In Matthew 25 Jesus is sharing a parable. He tells of three men who were all given a different amount of talents (large sum of money). One man that received five talents, he invested them, and received five more. So he doubled what he had. The second man had two talents, invested them, and received two more. He also doubled the amount he had originally been given. But the man who received one talent was lazy, he didn't take the time to invest or do anything with what he had been given, he simply buried it. When the lord came back to check on his servants he got the report and blessed the two that had invested and now had double what he had originally given them. But the servant that buried the one talent he had been given, the lord called him a wicked and slothful servant (vs 26). You see two servants had been faithful in what they were given. They went about and used what they had for their lord, so when he returned to them, they had something to show for what he had given them. They had something to show for the time that had passed. But the servant that was given the least didn't use that time to do anything. He took the easy way out. When the lord came back he sure sounded good and gave lots of excuses. But the lord saw right through that.
When I read about this parable I wonder how many of us can relate to it. When we are truthful with ourselves, which servant are we more like? I know with me personally, I can see a little of all three in my life at different times. That is something God has convicted me about. We want Him to show us what His big plan is for our lives. We get so excited about what he is going to have us do, that we often don't stop to think about what it is that we are doing now. Like our verse talks about...the servant was faithful over a few things. When I read that verse it hit me hard. God showed me that I need to first be faithful in the little things before He is going to show me the big things. If I can't be faithful in the little things how can He be assured that I will be faithful in the big plans that He has for me. Does God have big plans for each and everyone of us??? Absolutely! But sometimes I think we don't always get there because we haven't been faithful in the little things. So what are the little things?? Well it's everything really...Bible reading, devotional time, worship, prayer, witnessing, helping others, being faithful in anything and everything that we can for Him. For me..that is this blog. How is your Bible reading lately? How is your prayer life? Are you a prayer warrior?? Do you approach things passively or passionately for Him? I know where I fall in this category and I know there are things I need to work on. And with prayer, hard work, and looking for Christ for strength I can overcome lazy and bad habits. It is so important for us to take a step back and evaluate our spiritual walk with Christ every so often and find out where we are at. This is part of what God has convicted me on.
I will leave you with one last question that He showed me the other day....Is your faith a part of you or does it define you??
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Something Worth Waiting For....
Psalm 27:14-Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
This is one of my favorite verses. Are you willing to wait on the Lord? One aspect of purity involves waiting. Virginity isn't something to be ashamed of or something to be awkward about, it is a treasure to be valued and protected. It is not something to be carelessly thrown away. It is something to be guarded. Saving yourself is not easy, it goes against everything that today's culture shouts at us. In order to save yourself you have to see the value of your virginity yourself. If you don't see the real value of waiting then you won't be able to stand against the pressure. If you are around guys who do not see the value, but rather are encouraging you to give it up then they are NOT the guys that you should be surrounding yourself with. Wait, wait for your prince who will respect you and who will value and treasure your virginity and purity. Waiting is not just a matter of holding something back either....waiting on the Lord is focusing on Him and centering your life around Him. Surround yourself with girls who have a desire to wait on the Lord and who pursue Him above all else. Surround yourself with brothers in Christ who see you as a sister and as a treasure to be protected. Also go to your parents and discuss the matter of purity and waiting and ask for accountability. Even if your parents aren't Christians you can still share what's on your heart. You can also pray that God will bring a godly man or a godly woman who will fill that role if your parents are not believers.
God will not ask you to do something that is impossible. Anything He asks you to do is possible with His help! He is not asking you to not have sex before marriage because He is the "cosmic kill-joy", He sets that standard because He has a better plan for you. His plan may not involve one night stands and yearly flings, but His plan is worth waiting for. I have never talked to a couple who have done things His way and then regretted it. As a girl, by giving yourself to someone you are giving them a piece of you that you can never get back. You are giving them a piece of you that you can never give to your husband someday. God is asking you to wait for marriage, but He also gives us a promise; He shall strengthen thine heart. Waiting is possible because your focus will be on Him and your relationship with Him.
When God leads you into a relationship with the man He has for you, don't think "well, how far can I go without crossing the line?". That is dangerous territory, don't go down that road. Rather think "how Christ centered can I keep this relationship, and how can we bring God glory with this relationship?". Maybe you are reading this and you already lost your virginity, you will never be able to gain your virginity back, but you can gain your purity back. The Bible says, If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You can make a decision right here and right now to wait for the man God has for you and to wait to be physical until you are married. You can start living a life of purity and allow God to write your love story. In the meantime you can focus on your best love story of all, your relationship with the Savor Jesus Christ. Will you wait on the Lord? Will you put all your trust and confidence in Him and wait on Him? Can you say on your wedding day, "this was worth waiting for!".
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
This is one of my favorite verses. Are you willing to wait on the Lord? One aspect of purity involves waiting. Virginity isn't something to be ashamed of or something to be awkward about, it is a treasure to be valued and protected. It is not something to be carelessly thrown away. It is something to be guarded. Saving yourself is not easy, it goes against everything that today's culture shouts at us. In order to save yourself you have to see the value of your virginity yourself. If you don't see the real value of waiting then you won't be able to stand against the pressure. If you are around guys who do not see the value, but rather are encouraging you to give it up then they are NOT the guys that you should be surrounding yourself with. Wait, wait for your prince who will respect you and who will value and treasure your virginity and purity. Waiting is not just a matter of holding something back either....waiting on the Lord is focusing on Him and centering your life around Him. Surround yourself with girls who have a desire to wait on the Lord and who pursue Him above all else. Surround yourself with brothers in Christ who see you as a sister and as a treasure to be protected. Also go to your parents and discuss the matter of purity and waiting and ask for accountability. Even if your parents aren't Christians you can still share what's on your heart. You can also pray that God will bring a godly man or a godly woman who will fill that role if your parents are not believers.
God will not ask you to do something that is impossible. Anything He asks you to do is possible with His help! He is not asking you to not have sex before marriage because He is the "cosmic kill-joy", He sets that standard because He has a better plan for you. His plan may not involve one night stands and yearly flings, but His plan is worth waiting for. I have never talked to a couple who have done things His way and then regretted it. As a girl, by giving yourself to someone you are giving them a piece of you that you can never get back. You are giving them a piece of you that you can never give to your husband someday. God is asking you to wait for marriage, but He also gives us a promise; He shall strengthen thine heart. Waiting is possible because your focus will be on Him and your relationship with Him.
When God leads you into a relationship with the man He has for you, don't think "well, how far can I go without crossing the line?". That is dangerous territory, don't go down that road. Rather think "how Christ centered can I keep this relationship, and how can we bring God glory with this relationship?". Maybe you are reading this and you already lost your virginity, you will never be able to gain your virginity back, but you can gain your purity back. The Bible says, If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You can make a decision right here and right now to wait for the man God has for you and to wait to be physical until you are married. You can start living a life of purity and allow God to write your love story. In the meantime you can focus on your best love story of all, your relationship with the Savor Jesus Christ. Will you wait on the Lord? Will you put all your trust and confidence in Him and wait on Him? Can you say on your wedding day, "this was worth waiting for!".
Always in my prayers,
Jessica
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
30 Day Challenge!!!!
2 Corinthians 10:5-Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
I want to share something with you that made a huge impact in my life and my walk with Christ. When I was in 10th grade I went to Bible camp for a week in the summer. During that week God used the preaching, the music, and the godly people to convict me. I had been living life passively as a Christian. I wasn't sold out for Christ. I wasn't focused on my walk and my relationship with my Prince, instead I was focused on guys and the things of the world. I knew I needed to make a change. So I looked at my life to figure out what I should change. God convicted me about my choice of music. I had been primarily listening to country, although there are some country songs that are good the majority are about (or at least refer to) drinking, relationships, etc. As a genre, it certainly isn't focused on Christ. So I decided to make a change. I gave up the country music (even the "good" songs), I didn't watch any movies that had any inappropriate scenes in it, and I told those around me what I was doing so that they would be respectful and not be playing or watching that stuff when I was around. I stopped listening to and watching all of those things and I only listened to Praise and Worship music, Hymns, and other good solid Christian music. As for movies I only watched things that were family friendly and appropriate. So my first goal was to make it to 30 days with my new standard. After the 30 days when I watched some of the old movies and TV shows that I used to watch, I was horrified and threw a lot of movies out! After that, any time I was around country music I realized what some of those lyrics were actually about and I can't stand country now.
So many times people think music and just music and is harmless. But that is such a lie! What we watch and listen to becomes a part of who we are. Once I got rid of all of my old music and movies I can't tell you how much easier it was to keep my focus on God. After I did that, music was no longer just background noise to me, it was powerful and holy. When I had my music on, I was worshipping my Savior! Talk about a transformation!! I also realized my thought life was a lot better. I wasn't focused on guys or relationships, I was focused on my Prince and just totally and completely in awe of Him. All I wanted to do was spend more time with Him and spend more time worshipping Him!
I want to encourage you with this 30 day challenge. Stop listening to all music and only listen to Praise and Worship, Hymns, and good solid Christian music. Stop watching movies and TV shows that are "questionable" and turn to family friendly and faith oriented films. There are some good ones out there. Or better yet, turn off the TV for 30 days and the time that you normally would spend watching TV, spend it with your Prince, your Savior. You will be amazed at what this does. After the 30 days I encourage you to go back through your music and movies with this new prospective and purge them. You will be completely amazed at the things that you used to watch and listen to that didn't bother you, and now it does. With society the way it is, drifting further and further from Christ, we become immune to a lot. As Christians that is wrong. We should never allow ourselves to become immune, but sadly many of us do. I know, I have been there. It isn't till you take that stuff out of your life for awhile then go back to it, you realize this. The time that you were away from it is like you are detoxing and then your eyes are open to it and you can now see all of the sin involved with it. So, as a sister I want to encourage all of you girls to take my 30 day challenge and allow the Lord to use it. See what He does. Allow Him to use this time to draw you back to Himself. You won't regret it!
I want to share something with you that made a huge impact in my life and my walk with Christ. When I was in 10th grade I went to Bible camp for a week in the summer. During that week God used the preaching, the music, and the godly people to convict me. I had been living life passively as a Christian. I wasn't sold out for Christ. I wasn't focused on my walk and my relationship with my Prince, instead I was focused on guys and the things of the world. I knew I needed to make a change. So I looked at my life to figure out what I should change. God convicted me about my choice of music. I had been primarily listening to country, although there are some country songs that are good the majority are about (or at least refer to) drinking, relationships, etc. As a genre, it certainly isn't focused on Christ. So I decided to make a change. I gave up the country music (even the "good" songs), I didn't watch any movies that had any inappropriate scenes in it, and I told those around me what I was doing so that they would be respectful and not be playing or watching that stuff when I was around. I stopped listening to and watching all of those things and I only listened to Praise and Worship music, Hymns, and other good solid Christian music. As for movies I only watched things that were family friendly and appropriate. So my first goal was to make it to 30 days with my new standard. After the 30 days when I watched some of the old movies and TV shows that I used to watch, I was horrified and threw a lot of movies out! After that, any time I was around country music I realized what some of those lyrics were actually about and I can't stand country now.
So many times people think music and just music and is harmless. But that is such a lie! What we watch and listen to becomes a part of who we are. Once I got rid of all of my old music and movies I can't tell you how much easier it was to keep my focus on God. After I did that, music was no longer just background noise to me, it was powerful and holy. When I had my music on, I was worshipping my Savior! Talk about a transformation!! I also realized my thought life was a lot better. I wasn't focused on guys or relationships, I was focused on my Prince and just totally and completely in awe of Him. All I wanted to do was spend more time with Him and spend more time worshipping Him!
I want to encourage you with this 30 day challenge. Stop listening to all music and only listen to Praise and Worship, Hymns, and good solid Christian music. Stop watching movies and TV shows that are "questionable" and turn to family friendly and faith oriented films. There are some good ones out there. Or better yet, turn off the TV for 30 days and the time that you normally would spend watching TV, spend it with your Prince, your Savior. You will be amazed at what this does. After the 30 days I encourage you to go back through your music and movies with this new prospective and purge them. You will be completely amazed at the things that you used to watch and listen to that didn't bother you, and now it does. With society the way it is, drifting further and further from Christ, we become immune to a lot. As Christians that is wrong. We should never allow ourselves to become immune, but sadly many of us do. I know, I have been there. It isn't till you take that stuff out of your life for awhile then go back to it, you realize this. The time that you were away from it is like you are detoxing and then your eyes are open to it and you can now see all of the sin involved with it. So, as a sister I want to encourage all of you girls to take my 30 day challenge and allow the Lord to use it. See what He does. Allow Him to use this time to draw you back to Himself. You won't regret it!
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