A Story

We each have a story. A story that is filled with mistakes, joys, adventures, laughs, disappointments, pain, heartache, love, hate, anguish, sadness, peace, comfort, security and so much more. Each persons story is significant to them, even if they've forgotten certain parts, or decided to live in the moment. Regardless, every person has a unique story that is simply their own. No one else can copy it or truly live anyone else's story. And most of the time, no one will ever fully be able to understand another person's story. The only exception to that rule is Christ.

But, when you genuinely care about their story, they might just let you in. At first, you may just be listening to their story; seeing it from their perspective. Then you might start to understand their story and how they became like they are today. Next you'll become a part of their story and if you're lucky, you'll get to start living that story with them. And your story will be in theirs and vice versa.

Part of what Jesus does is he lives our story along side of us. Just like any relationship though, you have to let him be a part of it. You have to allow him to hear you. The great thing about God is that he knows everything that has ever happened, everything that ever will happen and all the things happening right now. He doesn't need time to process your story, or understand where you've been and how you got to where you are. He isn't judgmental or rude. He is always caring, always there and always listening. God has designed us to desire to be a part of other people's stories. It's not a maybe thing, it's a gonna happen thing. Being a part of someone's story is exhilarating and new and full of someone else.

What I'm getting to is that living in another person's story is selfless. It's real. It's authentic. It's humbling. It's laying down your life for another. And that is what God has intended marriage to be. Now I can't say from experience, but what God has been showing me is that when you allow yourself to choose to love another person, you are committing one hundred and ten percent of who you are to that person. That encompasses every emotion, every desire, every hurt, every joy that you have, you are laying down and saying that they are more important. And you are willing to put aside all of those things for that person. But he has also shown me that that person, when they are equally yoked, WILL do the same. No if's, and's, or but's. That is just the way it is.

I don't know how I'm gonna get to that place, but I will pray from now on that God show's me exactly how to do that, because my husband deserves nothing less than that. My unconditional love that I choose to give him every day of my life.

So I encourage you, if you are in a relationship, or thinking about having one, pray about this for yourself. Because your heart is too special to let anyone, besides your future spouse, have.

Mish Mash!

These are some thoughts, verses and quotes that I have been compiling for a while. And I thought I'd share :)

12/28/10
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
As we seek after God, he will empower us, break us, then build us back up, so our humility stays in contact. But he will bless us beyond what we think.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

12/29/10
You have to "walk in the light" of the vision that has been given to you. -Oswald Chambers

1/4/11
Jealousy
-human jealousy is an emotional response (it's relational). It is out of passion and ones self, born out of insecurity, mistrust, and fear.
-God's is a creator/creation desire for goodness. It's a compassion jealousy. He wants you to experience his love for you.

Love
-There are 4 kinds of love ~ the one that is most talked about is the affection love, which is storge in Greek. The other three are agape, phileo, and eros.

Hate
means to passionately disliking someone; to feel extreme aversion or hostility; detest.
-The word hate is thrown around so much, and yet God has so much intense stuff to say about it. Why take it lightly if He doesn't?

1/12/11
Everything that is NOT of faith is sin.

"Now FAITH is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Hebrews 11:1

The joy of the Lord can be so evidenced in us that we will be filled with God and able to rebuke the devil. -Smith Wigglesworth

Lord, let prime mover of my thoughts be you.

1/16/11
Overcoming~by the Grace of God

What does it mean to be a Biblical overcomer?
Titus 1:1-5

The answer: 1 John 5:4-5 "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

YOU are an overcomer of the world!
Betcha didn't know that, huh? It's pretty kewl.

We are each a dynamic expression of Jesus.
Today Jesus told me that He wants me to be that dynamic expression and not worry about how other people do it. No one is exactly like me and He has placed in me each desire, each love, each joy, for a specific purpose. How he desires me to love is specific for who he has made me to be.

Nehemiah 8:10
"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Speak victory over your struggles!

You know when you're at that point where you just cry out to God that He is all you have left. I can just imagine God looking at us and being like, "Yeah, all you've got left is the
Creator of Universe. How do you think that is gonna work out for ya?" Silly humans. We always let ourselves think that just having God is a bad thing. Well, it's not. Not at all in fact :) God is all we've got left ALL the time.

I want to ooze Jesus. But each person has their own color of ooze. That is part of our dynamic expression of Jesus, oozing Him in a different way then the next guy. It's GOOD to ooze Jesus in a different color than your friends. It shows how individual and unique you are to Him. He has done that with a beautiful purpose in mind. And it's great, cause we know that God has not just flippantly made us, He has a plan for us, whether we know it at this point or not. He does, and that's what matters.

Go God!



So after all of my mish mash, how are you gonna be the dynamic expression of Jesus that you are today? Don't hold back, don't be afraid. Just be Him that way He has created you too!

Healing and other things...

It [Bible] always addresses the big things that need to be healed. Demon-possession, sickness, diseases, pain, paralyzation and seizures. But it doesn't give much salt to the mental games that we play in our heads. It seems to not address the inside, and yet, God gives us the promise that if we ask, we will receive. The Bible tells us that Jesus went through all temptations that we go through so even those mind games, the lies and deceptions, the falseness of our thoughts. He dealt with them and conquered them. If Jesus can do that and he lives in us, we will surely be able to do that with him if we ask. Because truly it is in those seconds that we take those lies captive that we are obeying God in the simplest and most beautiful of ways. Who are we to think that we less than what God thinks of us. His love is so deep and real for us. It is so magnificent in the way that He desires for us to go. I always take comfort that God accepts me just the way I am. Every quirk, every ridiculous phrase, every deep thought, every shallow comment, every failure to love, every thing that I take joy in, every person that I hold dear, every person that has hurt or disappointed me, every person that has broken my hear in one way or another, every flaw, every phobia. He accepts me for who I was, who I am and who I will become. And more than that, He wants my "who I am right now," to grow into the "who I will become." That why he takes our emotions, thoughts and complexes so seriously. He desires to bring those deeply rooted and/or hidden complexes to light so He can heal them. He wants us to acknowledge those issues, to deal with them and ask for healing. Because He will bring it. Maybe not soon, and it pry won't be easy, but it WILL BE healed, if you ask and seek Him.

Ask yourself... Self, what is holding me back from doing this?

Most of the time, for me, it's fear. Fear of having to dig deep, find the root and acknowledge that the issue is actually an issue. And then seeing how that issue has corrupted the way I think. Which affects the way I speak, act and do God's will. WHICH SUCKS!!! Cause I don't want to let my own crap get in the way of God, but it does. And you'd be blind not to see that.

I won't give you a 3 step program to help, but if this is something that you struggle with and don't know how to change, then here are some things that help me:
Ask God to reveal to you things that are an issue for you
After they have been revealed, seek Him even more. Be in the word, talk to people about this issue so that can be praying. And PRAY! Talk to God about that thing, or the stuff or the thought process.
And let God have it. Slowly, but surely, God will heal you. But you have to be willing to go to the root. To dig deeply and just sit with God. Let Him wash over you, let Him fill you with His love and grace.

My friends, this is not an easy task. It's simple though. Because God is on your side. He wants the very best for you. :)