Looking Forward

Today is the last day of 2011. And I simply couldn't be happier.

This year has been hard. Not just, "oh my toe got smashed and it hurts," kind of hard. Like legit painful. Not just for me, but for those closest to me as well. There have been so many ups and downs. But through it all, God has remained faithful. I could tell you a whole list of prayers that God has answered this year. I could tell you a whole lot that he hasn't yet. Regardless, he is always there.

This past year has been not only hard with all of the things happening, but Satan just likes telling me lies. Most people that I've expressed this to have commented that they've been dealing with the same thing lately. This is a quote that brought me some revelation.

"it is funny how mortals always picture is as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out." -Screwtape Letters

Every lie that we live in becomes how we think and process life. Those lies are lies. Therefore, it's unhealthy to think them. Too much of the time, we forget to rebuke them. We just sit and let them fester in our brains. DON'T LET THEM FESTER!!!

This new year is going to bring new opportunities, new joys, new trials and new choices to be made. I don't want this night to be about forgetting this year, but looking forward to what is to come. I want to live better. This may be corny, but I was watching the movie New Years Eve and one of the girls gave this speech...

"It's suspended there to remind us before we pop the champagne and celebrate the new year, to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. To remember both our triumphs and our missteps, our promises made and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures or closed ourselves down for fear of getting hurt cause that is what new years is all about- getting another chance. A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And stop worrying about what if and start embracing what would be. So when that ball drops at midnight and it will drop, let's remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight but all year long." -Hilary Swank, New Year's Eve

As you enter in the new year, remember that God is always with you. This year will bring challenges, but don't forget the people he has placed in your life for support. Don't forget about the things you learned this year. Don't forget about the prayers God answered. Don't forget that each season is good in its own way. Remember to always keep your eyes on Him. He is ALWAYS with you. 

Happy New Years Eve, friends!!

 

Inspiring Couples

Relationship is a big part of life. What are we on earth for? Relationship with Christ.
But each relationship we have reflects of Him, in one or another. One thing I've been conscientious about lately is watching the relationship of couples that I really value and respect.

My best friend and I have talked about this quite a bit. The couples that inspire us.

Being at 7 weddings this year, I've had my share of watching couples my age. Seeing their parents, siblings and friends gather around them and share in their joy. More than that, I have friends that are now pregnant, after their weddings. And in every direction, more of my friends are getting engaged. I am so happy for them though!

As I look at those couples, I see the beginning. It's the start of something new.
Then I look around and see other couples increasing in age.

What I've realized is how different people are. There are so many ways to relate to people. There are so many ways of people showing their love for one another.

I want to encourage you to take notice of couples in your life that can mentor you and that inspire you to live more like Christ.

There are a few couples that I can name that I want to aspire to be like. :)
The first is Jen, my mentor, and her husband, J.
Jen has my mentor for almost 4 years. It was New Years Eve that she asked if she could mentor me, back in 2007 (it was almost 2008). I wasn't exactly sure what that would look like, but I wanted a mentor more than I ever let on. I wanted someone who would keep me accountable, who would speak to truth to me and know me really well. These are all things that she does.
But as I've known her family, I see more and more how Jen and J operate. They are loving and caring. There are obviously bumps in the road. The path for them hasn't been easy, but they are strong together. They are the couple that I know will always be strong together. They were also my college pastors for a while. Getting to see them lead a ministry together was SO inspiring. That is what I've always wanted to do with my husband. They inspire me to be who I am with Christ and with my husband.
Then there is a couple from my church named Marshall and Melissa. I met this couple when they started coming into Grove Coffee. We talked the first day then they sat down outside and chatted with each other. They've made Grove Coffee their regular date spot. They are the couple that you look at and see how they are truly best friends. They are easy going and comfortable with who they are. I've never felt like they were judging me. And they care SO much.  Honestly though, half the time they are there, I'm talking to them :) They inspire me to be the very best of friends with my husband.
Another couple that I truly admire is  one of my bestest friends, Dana. This January, Dana got married to the love of her life, Lucas. I got to walk along side Dana during her journey with Lucas. They have such a marvelous story. I have loved watching them grow together in their relationship with each other and with Christ. They are the couple that has inspired so many younger generations to live like them. At their wedding, I got to hear numerous people just fawn over them and how they've been such Godly examples. What kills me is their humility through all of it. They know that it's only by God's grace that they are together. And it is so beautiful to watch.

As a young woman, I wonder if I'll get to have what Jen and J and Melissa and Marshall have...but seeing Dana and Lucas. I know it's possible.

Friends, there are so many ways that you can choose to treat your significant other. My encouragement to you is be around couples that you respect and admire. Let God use them in your life to inspire you. The people who we surround ourselves with is who we will become.

Living loved is the best determining factor of how you love those around you. Are you living in Christ's love? To better love those around you?

Something New

It's the day after Christmas, and all through the house...the new things are unwrapped and in the rooms of their owners.

The day after Christmas should be a time to reflect on how Jesus came to earth. How his Father gave him up for us. It should be...but how often do we just go on with our lives. There are sales to get to and things to do. Why should we think about Jesus?

On Christmas Eve, I came home from a cruise to the Bahamas. It was seriously amazing. I've never had a more relaxing vacation. I got time to spend with Jesus, time to read and so much food.

For the past few months, I've been having stomach problems again. I can't quite put my finger on the cause though. When I've struggled with this in the past, it has been stress. But most of the stress in my life is non-existent. God has got my back and I'm not too worried. There is always something happening but God has truly been working on me in that area. So that can't be it. It's something new...just not pleasant.

Anyways, back to my story. On Christmas Eve, I was at my church, helping out with the Christmas Eve services. Grove Coffee was open and hopping. Through the first two services, it was all I could do to just keep going. For some reason, my head wasn't in the game. I wasn't able to function. Then I went to the service.

Palmer talked about love.

As you know, this is one of my favorite subjects.
Love is so important to show to people this day and age.
No one knows how to love unconditionally anymore.
The one thing Palmer pointed out was the performance aspect of love.
Wherever we turn, we are asked to perform.
If we perform well, we are given approval, which is mistaken by most as love.
That's not love.

Love is unconditional. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a) Love is hard to see in others. Because we give love in all kinds of ways. And we receive love in all kinds of ways.

How are you loving people? Examine your heart. Are you loving unconditionally? You're human. Don't be too hard on yourself. I'll be the first to admit that I know I do not love unconditionally all the time. But that's why I have God. To give me that love to give. I am incapable without Him. Are you legalistic about things? Do you write people off when they don't follow exactly how you think they should live their life? Do you stop showing them love? Who are you to do that? You are a fallen human, as am I.

My challenge to you is to love. Don't love out of obligation. Love because he first loved you. Love unconditionally. You don't know what battle people are fighting. All you know is loving them could make all the difference in the world. Love, my friends. Love unconditionally.

It's a Life and Death Situation

It's drawing closer and closer to Christmas.
All I can think about is Jesus and his life.
Last night though, I was struck with a realization.
There is death.

I know, I know. Why didn't I think about that earlier? Well, my dad I were watching a movie called J. Edgar. We went out on a daddy-daughter date :) While I don't agree with the lifestyle that J. Edgar lived, I do admire his ingenuity. The man was stinkin brilliant. At the end of the movie, it showed his death. I'm not sure why, but I was almost moved to tears. Even that man, that brought corruption and held so much power had people that loved him.

He said one line in the movie that stuck with me. He said, "Love is the only true thing in life." A man with great power knew that the thing worth living for is love.

Driving home, dad and I were talking about death. How it's a natural part of life. I've also been reading fiction books that have a death of a character in them. I'm that girl that gets so caught up in books that I feel connected to the characters. And seeing one of them die just brings me to tears. Whenever my dad and I talk about death, my mind instantly goes to him or my mom dying. I've never experience a death that is that close to me. Then even just the idea of that brings fresh tears to my eyes.

But I've also been thinking about how wonderful it would be to be with Jesus. To be washed of this world. To be in His presence for eternity. How marvelous would that be?

Some people struggle with the fear of death. Honestly, I don't understand why. I can't wait to be in heaven. Granted, I know that I have a very specific purpose to be on this earth. But I'm also ready to be with Jesus.

Life is a gift that has been given to you. If you knew that you would die tomorrow, would you live your life any differently? Why not live that way every day? How much would change in your life?

Live life to the fullest. You don't know how much time is left. But I know that when I get to heaven, I want to be able to stand before God and tell him that I lived my life to the very fullest. And He'll know, cause He was with me every step of the way.

Love is the one true thing in life. God is love. If we don't live life with Christ, we don't have love. Live love every day. It's part of living life to the fullest.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 
1 Corinthians 13:1

An now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 
1 Corinthians 13:13

Changing

I've been meaning to write for DAYS... Like seriously, days. FINALLY, I'm here. Writing again. :)

There have been so many things that God has been teaching me lately. For example, on Monday and Tuesday of this week it was raining. All day long. In case you don't know, rain is God's way of telling me that everything is going to be okay.

A lot of my struggle lately has been spiritual attack. Ever since I got home, I've been feeling more and more attacked. In all of the little things, and all of the big things. It's the end of the year and I feel like the year has gone by so so so quickly. I guess I'm getting nostalgic. I'm reminiscing in my head. I'm looking back at the change that this year has held. All of the different jobs, all of the different friends, all of the new things, all of everything. I'm changing, my friends are changing, my jobs have changed, my living situation has changed.

I have gone from change to change. And there just never seems to be a silent moment. Yet, change can be good. I can't tell you how many blessings have just been poured out on my life...and it's all because of Him.

I have seen a tremendous amount of change in my friends lives too. Which has been an honor to watch. One of my friends, a long time ago, told me that people don't change. And to this day, I disagree. People change. Their hearts change. Their sayings change. Their lives have changed...sometimes drastically.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 
Hebrews 13:8 

My constant. My center. My everything. My true love.

Is Jesus Christ. 

 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed, by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Romans 12:2

God calls us to a higher standard. We are CALLED to be transformed. And because we are human, we resist. 

Change is good. In more than one way. Embrace it. If God is allowing it, then you know for certain that he has got your back. Would you want anything else? I sure wouldn't. Allow change in your life, friends. But don't just allow it, embrace it.

Control

There are a lot of people in my life who want to control the environment. They want to control how they are perceived, what is said, how things are run, what happens and everything in their lives. I'm not being over dramatic. Have you ever met anyone like that? It's frustrating for me...because they won't let you help them. It's frustrating for me, because I can be like that too.


I would love to say that I've given complete control to Christ. My life is in his hands and I don't ever try to take it back from Him. But I'd be lying.


I can't tell you how long I've felt like I've had no control over my life; I don't know what I want to do or where I want to go. Every time I need to know, I lay at God's feet and ask that he will give me patience. Then he tells me...


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11


Friends, I know what it's like. I know that it's hard to live in this in between stage. I see so many of my friends getting married, and graduating and starting careers. I see them do these things and envy that they know what life will look like. It's a challenge.


It's raining today. Rain means that everything is gonna be okay. That's how God tells me physically, in this world, that it's gonna be okay. I might be stubborn and hard to get through to at times...but He knows me best. :)


I want to have control of my life and know what is going to happen. But as I have seen in my life thus far, it never turns out the way I think it will. God's plan is ALWAYS better. When I have "control" of my life, it sucks in comparison to Christ.


Everything is gonna be okay. God gave me rain. Today, I will rest in Him. I will trust His goodness. Today, I am his and he is mine. We'll tackle tomorrow, tomorrow. But for now, he's got my back.


Have you given him control? Are you content with where you are? Cause no matter where that is for you, He's got your back.

Crippling

Lately, all I have seen is crippling fear.

Lately, I've seen brokenness that shapes people.

Lately, my heart has gone out to so many.

I've been in Georgia for about a week now. I'm leaving on Wednesday to come back to Arizona. But there has been so much that God has allowed me to see while being here. One of the things that I have seen outshine the rest has been fear. 

Fear is always there. God tells us to not fear anything except for Him. Honestly, I still don't completely understand that concept, but if it's what God says, then I'm sure He'll show me eventually. There have been quite a number of posts about this on my blog because it is constantly an issue in this world. 

Today in church, we were talking about Matthew 17:17...

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." 

Fear can be a comfort for some; a close companion for others; a known wall to hide under for the rest. What I have seen though, has been a fear that is crippling.

Crippling to their relationship with Christ, with others, with family, and in their every day lives. It might not be a fear that is overarching. But it is a weight in their every decision. Literally. 

So do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Isaiah 41:10

For God has not given us a spirit of fear

but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

If you are choosing fear before Christ,

you are hurting yourself. 

God is hurting for you.

He is the only one that can take that fear away.  

Let Him.

Thirst

What do you thirst for?

For me, most of the time it's water. Yes, haha, I know it's funny. But truthfully, it's more like water and coffee, considering those are the only two drinks I intake on a daily basis.

⁸ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
⁹ for he satisfies the thirsty
   and fills the hungry with good things. 
Psalm 107:8-9

I like drinking. I don't like being thirsty. Physically or spiritually.

For the past few days I have felt a thirst spiritually. I want more and more of the Father. I have this longing and desire to know him for intimately. What do I do? Pray. Seek Him. Fill my mind and heart with his words. I ended up reading the word a lot and hiding some in my heart too!

I pray that my thirst will never be quenched fully. But He is the living water. Drink Him in.

HEAR, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God, save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to call who call to you. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.
Psalm 86:1-6

Read those lines again, slower. Soak in the cry that David brings to the Lord. 

These verses encompass all the my prayers have been lately. God is so good and so awesome! But right now, this is how I have been praying. I feel silly really, because I have a blessed life. I am abundantly blessed. I don't understand it at all. The things that God keeps telling me through others is positive. Man, I just don't feel like it all though.

My security does not lie in what others tell me nor do those things give me strength to carry on. My King has told me the truths that I am living in. I'm human; I forget. 

Last week, I was talking to God in church and I was just expressing my heart to Him. I was repenting for sin and asking for forgiveness. And you know what God said? He goes, "Eh, you're human. It's okay. You have repented. I forgive you." The God of the universe said that to me. 

We are given a chance to be in relationship with God. Don't take it for granted. 

If Psalm 86 is your cry to God right now, I just want to encourage you that His grace is sufficient. Rest in that. 

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Maybe I Care Too Much...

I was having an argument with a friend the other day about caring too much. We both have huge, compassionate hearts. I said that I don't think someone can care too much for another person. What I do think though is that we have a hard time seeing the line in which we take it on caring as our responsibility.

I know responsibility is something I tend to talk about a lot, but it's because it's what God is teaching me right now. Our actions are things that we have to take responsibility for. They aren't something we can beat around the bush about...or say didn't happen. I don't care if you're the only person that really knows what happened, you have to own up to it. There are consequences for our actions, whether we choose to acknowledge them or not.


Sometimes the consequences are not good, and sometimes they are great.


A lot of times I get caught between caring and taking responsibility. I can name so many times when this has been my dilemma. Fortunately, I serve a God that says that it's not my responsibility.


With Thanksgiving coming up, there has been a lot of talk about what we are thankful for and how we can express that. The forgiveness that God has given us has been a tremendous blessing. He has always shown us forgiveness that we don't deserve. It's mind boggling to me. How does the God of the Universe care so much about us all the time? Even when we sin and choose to look away from Him. He promises us in His Word that he will never leave us nor forsake us. We are the ones that turn from Him and ignore Him. He ALWAYS cares. He has literally taken the entire worlds sin upon himself for us.

Who am I to question whether I care too much? 

I don't understand why, but God loves us and cares for each of us so much. He is the only one we can turn to when we care. It really comes down to trusting Him. 

It's hard for me to trust God with my friends and family; the people that I care for. 

It's easy for me to trust Him with me. 

Because I've seen His provision and faithfulness in my life. 

But I need to practice trusting God with everyone else. 

His faithfulness is going to look different in each person's life, because he knows how to best get through to them. 

Who am I to question what He is going to do with them? 

This past weekend I was in Grove Coffee and one of my regulars came in with his wife. We got to talking and he asked if I needed prayer. In the middle of the day, we stopped and he prayed for me. Right there, in the coffee shop. Unashamed. That shows that he and his wife care for me; my heart and my walk with Christ. That is also the best way to show you care and trust God with someone. 

There is a point where we have to let go, trust God with that person and just pray. 

Pray Until Something Happens. 

I am a firm believer in prayer and that God answers prayers. That is how God shows me His faithfulness. Don't question whether you care to much, question whether you're praying enough. If you care, you should be taking your caringness to the only one that can do anything about it. 

Just pray. Pray without ceasing.

Authenticity

I'm sitting in my classroom at ASU Downtown Phoenix waiting for my professor to get here. 

I'm tired and didn't want to get out of bed this morning. 

My schedule is jam packed this weekend. Literally. I will have no time at all. 

And this morning I got an extra shot in my latte. 

The craziness hasn't even started yet.

This is my life. 

Solution: Prayer. Lots and lots of it. 

Ephesians 6:18 tells us...

         And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

 

 

 I will pray. I will be in constant communication with my bestest friend, Jesus. I cannot live without his strength. Especially this weekend. But I'm excited. Because I know that when I talk to him, he listens. Trust me, there are ALL kinds of prayers and requests goin up to him right now. 

And the thing is, I know that Satan is lurking right around the corner. He's looking for an open spot to attack. But he won't be able to, cause I'm keeping my eyes on Jesus. I've clothed myself in the full armor of God. I'm living in the truth (and drinking a lot of coffee!). I am staying alert; watching, waiting, ready for the attack. 

 

 

God will protect me. 

He always does. 

Don't be afraid to admit this kind of stuff. People respond so much better to you being real, authentic and genuine. If you're having a bad day and someone asks you how you are, say that you're having a bad day. If they don't ask why, someone else will. The best way for you to live out your life is to be real. That's what God has called us to do. Who are we disobey? He gave us life. Live it to the very fullest. 

 

You NEVER know who will respond when you are willing to be authentic. 

 

A Shred of Dignity

So, I really like that title. Not sure why. It really has nothing to do with this post. Sorry it's taken me so long to write again. Life has been a bit crazy, which isn't unusual. But, for some reason, I just haven't felt inspired to write. Honestly, I've missed it. I've been running from one thing to the next for so long that when I get a break, all I want to do is sit and veg. God ended up telling me that that wasn't a good use of my time. Duh, shouldn't figured that out on my own. But whatever. Now I know :) 

A lot of what I've been learning lately has to do with seeing the small things and appreciating them the way they were intended to be appreciated. God was talking to me about that recently after a sermon by my college pastor. He was talking about listening to the still small voice; seeing the presence of God is hard for most people, they tend to see the absence of God more often. 

My goal since then is to see God in the little things. Being aware of those small things changes your perspective. I'll give you some examples. 

I was a little later to school today (and by later, I mean I was here only 20 minutes early rather than half an hour), so I wasn't sure if I was going to get a good parking spot. I decided to take it up with the Big Man. I simply asked that he would provide me with a parking spot not too far from my class. What did I get? the parking spot that I really wanted. :) 

Last Wednesday, I was asked to ref a tournament because I was highly recommended; I was asked to house sit for 2 nights; and I was asked to babysit. What I didn't realize until the weekend was that I asked God to bless me in ways that I wasn't aware that I needed. This weekend, I needed that. There were unexpected expenses that came up and I was able to pay for all of them because God provided and blessed me. To me, the small thing was that God answered that prayer in 2 days. AND I didn't even realize I needed it. 

Look for God in the small things, you'll be able to see his presence even better in those, because you'll be one of the few looking for it. 

Prayer

In case you don't know, I'm a big fan of prayer. I just can't get over the whole, I get to talk to the Creator of the Universe whenever the heck I want to thing. Call me crazy, but I think it's freakin RAD!

Prayer has always been something that I love to do. At college group on Thursday we were talking about it and like usual, we had a great controversial discussion on the subject. We were talking about the Lord's Prayer found in Matthew.

This, then, is how you should pray:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heave. Give us today our daily bread. and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
Matthew 6:9-13

Notice all the "our's, we's, and us's" in the prayer? Prayer is something that we need to do together. Most of the time, we listen to other people's problems and tell them we'll pray for them. When, in reality, we won't really pray for them later unless we remember, which is very unlikely. Be honest, how many times have you told some random person that you would pray for them and didn't? A few years back, a pastor said the same thing to me in church and challenged me to take time right then to say a prayer for them. But then he also encouraged me to stop and pray with people in that moment that they're spilling their guts to you.

Christian's are funny, though. When you take the time to ask them if they need prayer right then they give you this funny look that says, "pray for me later, I just needed someone to talk to." I think this is a common understanding between Christians. We ask about problems, then pray later. It just makes sense in our minds. Unfortunately, though, there are so many times that God calls us to do more than possibly remember to pray for someone later.

Some of the best times of prayer that I've had are when I get to pray with someone right in that moment. You just get to sit with them and pray together. Everything is fresh in your mind and you've taken time to help that person know that you care enough to pray right then. I encourage you to do that. Try it with close friends at first, then slowly you'll be comfortable to pray with a not so close friend which will eventually lead you to praying for a random stranger...that you will never see again. But you took that moment to pray with them, simply because you let the Lord lead you.

So, I told you we talked about prayer on Thursday, but then at church today, we talked about prayer AGAIN. Talk about a God thing :)

Prayer is about relationship. When we pray, it is not to just tell God our problems and walk away, it's about building and maintaining a relationship with our Father. He is with us all the time, but how close can we truly be to God if we don't have relationship with him. And that relationship is built not on just talking to him, but listening to him as well. That's what God intended prayer to be. In church, the pastor told us that we were going to take a minute to meditate on a question that we had for him. So for about 60 seconds, the entire congregation was silent and we listened for God to speak to us. The question that we asked him was...

Lord, what do you see when you look at me?

I don't know about you, but I always have a billion and one questions for God. That has never been one of them. It made me a little uncomfortable to ask him that at first, then I just got super curious. I love hearing God speak to me, so I was super excited to hear what he had to say. Now, we were at church which means we didn't have much time to hear what he had to say. BUT, I am definitely going to ask him this question again in my own quiet time. 

Prayer is relationship building. It's also a two way street. You talk, he listens. He talks, you listen. Practice it. Practice listening to God. Ask him that question. He may something that you never expected. :)

Joshua

Joshua 1:1-11


After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelite's.  I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.  Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.  No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
  So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.’” 

This is a passage that God spoke to me through these past couple of weeks.
The first few verses go through God's promises to Joshua. He tells him all of the things that he is going to do. Then he encourages Joshua; strengthening his spirit. And the last part is Joshua ACTING on what God has told him. How awesome is that?! I absolutely love that concept.
My heart was drawn into this story because of the faith that Joshua has that God WILL fulfill his promises. This is exactly what God has done for us, but we choose not to see it. We choose to ignore the fact that he is with us and he will NEVER LEAVE US. Ever. Because in the darkest of times, he's not just with us, he's carrying us. He holds us near his heart. 

Seasons

I live in Arizona. We don't have seasons. Real weather seasons, that is; but there are definitely seasons in life. Seasons of different people, different perspectives, different lessons learned, different clothes, different jobs.

Change is good. Changing seasons is good, as well. But for some reason, I have a hard time during the change. I love when things change, but saying goodbye is hard. My philosophy is to just say farewell. Farewell to what was, and hello to what is to come.

God works in mysterious ways.
He is faithful, just and true.
He is trustworthy, loving, magnificent.

Seriously though, when we talk about seasons everyone is usually positive and excited about the next season. Blah blah blah. I don't think I've ever heard someone talk about how sad they are to leave a season. Maybe it's just me. It seems like season always bring something new...which is good. But it's never easy. I was talking to one of my regulars today and he told me that it doesn't get any easier.

I was talking to God yesterday and I asked him if he could just show me one thing that was easy. If I could see that one thing, maybe it'd be easier to breathe. Oh yeah, did I mention that? I can't breathe again...oh yes, life keeps getting better and better.

But honestly, it's not that bad. Not when I look at it from God's perspective. There are millions of people who have it worse off then I do. I'm trying to discredit how I feel, but really, that conversation was what I needed with God. I needed to voice what was going on in my head that I hadn't gotten out yet. Now it's out. The injustice of the world, the sadness that is so prevalent, and the new season that God has brought me into. It's a good one. I can already tell. It won't be easy though.

Satan is waiting to ambush us at the precise moment that we're not ready for it; I wasn't. I encourage you to be. Don't let your guard down, don't turn a blind eye. Seek out what God is calling you to do. Be someone who embraces the new season of life, and when sadness comes knocking on your door, FIGHT!

We are in this battle with the only one that can win.
Jesus.
Let him lead.
He will fight by your side.



Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 
Romans 5:1-5

Hurting Heart

 To give some background, my heart has been hurting for so many of my friends lately. So one night, I couldn't sleep and I wrote this. They don't know it's to them, but it is. This is my heart for them.



I wish you could understand how much He loves you. I pray that you see that all the things you want in life are meaningless without Him. I wish you could be content and not have to go doing things you might regret. I pray that you'll fall flat on your face with nothing. And crawl to Him on your hands and knees knowing you don't deserve it. I pray God grabs a hold of you by the shoulders. I pray for your heart, mind and purpose to change. I pray that God will show me how to be a better witness of His kingdom to you. I want you to see that all you need is Jesus. That He's all you'll ever need. But it's not now. It won't be soon. I know this, because I know you. How many times have I wanted to get your attention fro Him. How I have failed you, my friend. I'm truly sorry. Please know that more than anything, I want you to know Him like I do. He is my world. He can be yours too.



I know that most of us have friends that we feel this for; keep praying for them.
Love never fails.
God is love.

Truth, Justice and the American Way

How unjust is this world? How often do we actually live in truth? The American way is just another way of saying that we want to be rich.

I can't help but think this world is nothing but unjust. People thrive in their lies, but they remain dead inside. I don't know how it is possible for the authorities in this world to not be overwhelmed with guilt. Yes, we are all fallen. No one is perfect. But how are people okay with watching the injustice, allowing the lies to become truth, and only be concerned with their status.

Sometimes this world just makes my heart sad. I have to admit, there are days that I just want to be with Jesus. Heaven sounds mighty fine.

I was talking to one of my pastors today and he told me that people are messy. It's just as painful walking through and carrying the burden of someone else's pain as it is for the person dealing with it. Welcome to my life. I get the privilege of hearing other people's stories. More than anything, I just want to live life with people. That's my heart. But man, I'm not gonna lie, it's hard. Watching someone you know and love make decisions that you don't agree with. Giving advice that is never heard. Understanding that it's not my responsibility, but His.



My heart has been so burdened for the souls of many.



What do I do? Pray. Pray a lot. And cry. Cry for those people who need Him more than anything. They don't see it. One day they will.

Saying No

Apparently, I have this problem saying no. I think what it comes down to is the fact that I'm a busy person. Most of the pastors at my church say that busy people can always make time for more. That is so me. Everyone knows it. Usually, I have at least one person tell me that I need to say no to things. I don't want to. I really like getting to have a hand in things, being responsible for stuff, and making time for new things. Yeah, that's me. But seriously, it can be unhealthy sometimes. Okay, most of the time.
Because when you say yes to most everything, you hardly get any rest time. Today, I got called a ray of sunshine. Hearing those things helps me know that what I'm doing and who I am is not of myself. There is no possible way that I could be the way that I am without God. Which means, the answer to saying no, is asking God for the ability to do so.

For I am the LORD your God
   who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
   I will help you. 
Isaiah 41:13

Responsibility, Change, Truth

Let me take a minute and talk about the burden of responsibility.

Responsibility is something that I was given long before I knew the concept of it. I'm a first born :) You probably already know that by now. Anyways, even as a younger child, I knew that I was responsible for a lot more things that any of my friends. Granted, there were people who understand, like other first borns, but at the time, we didn't know. As I've grown up, I have seen other people come in and out of my life who were amazingly awesome people but they sucked at responsibility.

The textbook definition of responsible is:

"liable to be called on to answer."


My definition:


"the person who gets in trouble if something goes wrong."


I'm not at all trying to be cynical. It's the truth though. When you are asked to do something, you are not being asked to do it half-way. You are being asked to do it, and as Christians, we should be going the extra mile for it.

The other night I was getting told that I need to not be stressed so much and just don't worry about it. The problem was that I was responsible for something. And it wasn't so much stressing me out as it would be nice for the 3 people still standing in the room to help. You're right, it's not their responsibility to do so. As I have learned, you can't depend on people. My expectations were too high.

When the pastor comes back to me and asks why the room wasn't cleaned, it's on me. It doesn't matter what my friends told me about the room. They don't have to answer for it; I do. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not standing on my soap box or having a pity party for myself. I'm simply trying to illustrate to you what responsibility looks like.

Then there is also a balance of knowing what you need to take responsibility for and when you need to let go. Most of the time, I end up holding on to responsibility that isn't mine. It's not our job to make sure everything is okay with the people we love and care about. It's not our responsibility to help people change. Cause the reality is that people won't change because of you. It's because of Him.
God is the only reason why people change. One of my friends used to tell me that people don't change. He said that a lot. And for a while, I started to believe him. Then I realized that everyone around me had changed. Their values, their lives, their friends, their ideals, they morals and ethics. People change. Maybe not for the good, maybe for the bad. Regardless, they change.

Don't be afraid of change. 
Embrace it.
God will work through the situation and in you as life changes.

Truth

I know I've talked about truth before. So I'm sure you're all wondering why I'm talking about it again. But it's because it is so prevalent in our lives. Every day we deal with our mind battle. We push out the lies and try to live in truth. 

Truth lies in the promises that Christ made us. The promises that WILL be fulfilled. 

Go doesn't try to trick us by dangling lies in front of our faces. 

NO! 

Our God is bigger than that. 

He promises us so much and has fulfilled or WILL fulfill each of those promises. 

Live in his truth. 

Be willing to listen to his promises.

Don't give into the lies. 

His TRUTH will set you free. 

Let truth be your soul armor. 

 

 

People

I don't think anyone fully grasps the joy that I have when talking, interacting and loving people. Sometimes, I don't even understand it until after it's happened. This week I have had such great moving conversations with friends. Just last night I was able to talk with a friend on the phone who recently moved back home after being in Arizona. It was a conversation filled with laughter, catching up and Jesus.

When Jesus was talking about the greatest commandment, he said to love God and love others. Obviously, I'm paraphrasing. Still though, we are called to love others. Love others in a way that is not our own. Cause honestly, people are hard. Relationship is hard. It takes work, support, love, patience.

Just the other day I was reading a blog by a pastor and he was talking about being in relationship. He went over different points that he thought were important to have in any type of relationship. Here is what he said:

1. Begin with the guy in the mirror. (Matthew 22:39 – love your neighbour as yourself). We can only love others to the degree that we love ourselves, and we only love ourselves to the degree that we know the love of God.
2. Be a faithful friend. (Prov. 17:17 – a friend loves at all times). We need to love our friends even when they are being unlovable, for it is then that they need our friendship the most.
3. Speak only encouraging words to everyone. (Prov. 18:21 “the power of death and life are in the tongue” & Eph. 4:29). You’ve heard the rhyme, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." That’s not true. Words can wound greater than sticks and stones!
4. Be friendly to everyone you meet. (Prov. 18:24 – he who has friends must be friendly). If you have a real negative, grouchy attitude all the time, you will have a hard time making friends!
5. Practice love everyday. (READ 1 Cor. 13:4-8a). Don’t just say, "I love you." Love is patient, love is kind, love believes the best, etc.
6. Help people in trouble all the time. (Gal. 6:2 – God wants us to share each others troubles & problems).
7. Pray for one another daily. (James 5:16 – pray for one another). Never pass up an opportunity to pray with someone.
8. Pursue peace with all men. (Rom. 12:18 – as much as possible). This is not easy, but this is very important.
9. Know how to deal with offenses. (Matt. 18:15 - if someone offends you, go and talk to them about it, don’t go and talk to others about it). Jesus said, “Offenses will come,” but its how we deal with it that makes the difference.
10. Forgive one another. (Eph. 4:32 - forgive each other as Christ forgave us). In any relationship, you will have to choose to forgive the other person when they hurt or offend you.


I read these and I really liked the way he put it into words. These are things that can make you a better friend to people. He puts it in a bit nicer sounding words than I would I think. :) But all of these things ring true.

If you've read my blogs recently you've seen how much of a mind battle I've been haivng, and especially while interacting with people, Satan tries his hardest to tear me down. But in those moments when I'm sitting in my car by myself, I just get to commune with God. I find myself praying, constantly...for others. When there is one specific person on my mind I just get to talk to God about them. I don't always know if it's doing anything, but I'd rather pray than just let it sit on my mind. Our minds are vulnerable things. If you've been thinking, stressing, worrying, whatever...I really encourage you to just pray. Take your mind off of what is happening, because the reality is that God has control. He's always got your best interest in mind. He knows exactly what he's doing and it's going to be better than you EVER imagined. I'm being for serious right now. Trust him. And pray :) Lots and lots of prayer.

Fight, Fight, Fight

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
 ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 
Ephesians 6:13-18

More than anything, I want to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Because in my mind, those arrows are lies that are shot into my brain. Yup, pretty graphic. But that's how I think. I want every thought that goes through my head to be glorifying to the Lord. It's not so much a battle in the physical for me, but a battle in the mind. And most people wouldn't even know there was a battle raging except that I've said it. The battle of the mind is hard. It's private and not others can always detect unless they know you really well. Regardless, it's the battle that is happening constantly.

Satan wants us distracted and vulnerable. And for me, that's my thought life. But when I put on the full armor of God, it's different. God wants us to be able to stand after we have done everything. That shows me that with all of this stuff I can battle well. Then it tells me to pray. If you don't know, I LOVE praying. Why, just today I had a phenomenal prayer session with my big brother. God is moving, my friends. Choose to see it.

The battle still rages, but I'm winning. Only because of Christ.




 

The Truth Will Set You Free

Emotion. 

good; when not over used. bad; when it is all that is. 

Joy. 

only from Christ. happiness is fleeting. joy stays. 

Facial Expression. 

shows more than we think. can help people understand. 

God gave us our emotions, joy, and facial expressions for a reason. Stand firm in knowing that God is going to use those things in your life. He wants us to remain in Him.


² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4

My friends, I implore you, seek Him. For He is seeking you.

⁵ The islands have seen it and fear;
   the ends of the earth tremble.
They approach and come forward;
 ⁶ they help each other
   and say to their companions, “Be strong!”
⁷ The metalworker encourages the goldsmith,
   and the one who smooths with the hammer
   spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
   The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.
 ⁸ “But you, Israel, my servant,
   Jacob, whom I have chosen,
   you descendants of Abraham my friend,
⁹ I took you from the ends of the earth,
   from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
   I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you;
   do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
   I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:5-10




This passage was in the reading for one of the Bible studies that I'm in. God really spoke to me through it. It showed the community that God was speaking about. When all people of all types encourage one another and uplift each other, it brings about community. It doesn't have to be the people that you thought it was going to be. Let God be the one showing you who he wants you to encourage and be encouraged by. Most times, it's the people we least expect it to be. No joke.

Reread the Isaiah 41 passage and really let God speak to you through it. There is so much promise and love that he puts into those words. It's hard to digest the first time. But as you read it over and over, God moves in your heart. Let it wash over you.

The TRUTH will set you free

Hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13


When the going gets tough, sometimes we forget to hope. There is always a ray of hope that we don't see. It's always there though. Choose to see it. Because when you do, there's more to live for. Don't give up hope, friends. He is our hope.

You

If only I could express to you how much God is doing. I'll try to explain, but if you get lost, just keep reading.


The past month there have so many changes, not just in my life but in the lives of the people I'm around. Beginning of August was the start. I went got my wisdom teeth out, got dry sockets, didn't get any scholarships for school, moved home, took out a loan, figured out I was broke, got my motorcycles license, struggled with stress, failure and believing lies.

Failure. As a first born, I'm more prone to looking at my life and wanting it to be perfect. Yes, I do realize that that is impossible. But that's what I strive for. And when I'm incapable of doing so, I feel like a complete and utter failure.

Pain. Some of you know what it's like to be in pain all the time. It felt like hell. The pain was all I could think about. It was in my mouth, so I didn't want to eat AND I wasn't getting much sleep cause I would wake up after the meds wore off, in pain. Thinking back on it, it was just horrible. There truly aren't words to describe. I would have okay days. But there was a period when I was in pain for like 2 weeks straight. Then it took me another week to get back into a regular sleeping pattern. Even now, I'm still tired. Don't get depressed for me, I'm just setting the scene.

Lies. Then on top of it all, my thought life was just all lies from Satan. Every single thing I thought, I knew wasn't the truth. I was reading my Bible and praying, talking to God. But still, the lies were overwhelming. It felt like too much. The lies weren't just focused on my "failure," it covered everything. How I felt about myself, how other people viewed me, what I was doing with my life, if I was doing the right thing, if I was going to make an impact, and so on. You get the picture.

I can't really tell you to the fullest extent I was feeling. But literally, I didn't feel like myself. I wasn't joyful, happy-go-lucky, find the good in everything Bre. I wasn't what people wanted, expected, or needed, in my mind. That straight up sucks. Because how we feel reflects the way we treat others.

One thing that God has been ingraining into my head for the past couple of years is how my value does not lie in what I do, but who I am. My identity is in Christ. I say that when you first see my blog, and it's the truth. I know that is where my identity lies. Which is why Satan wants to attack that one the most.

Last week, I started school, started my third job and am about to start my fourth. I am going to have four jobs, full-time school and a minimal social life. Which is a huge change from the summer. I just worked and hung out with friends all summer. I did have one summer class, which was good, but it wasn't too hard at all.

Again, my value doesn't lie in what I'm doing, but who I am.


So, you might be wondering, who am I?

I am part of the body of Christ. I am loving, caring, compassionate, kind. I am real, authentic and unafraid. I am my sisters best friend. I am my brothers biggest fan. I am my friends support. I am the person that will listen, or give advice. I am the one that comes to the same coffee shop everyday. I am who God has created me to be. I am growing in my faith, my maturity. I am a servant leader. I am humbled everyday. Because I know that I am none of these things without Christ.

If you and I stopped doing all the things we're doing, God would still love us.
Love is the foundation.
I was listening to a sermon the other night and the pastor said that. Love is the foundation. He told a story about his daughter. When he asks her to do something, she gives him this look that says that no to him. But he knows that she will do it. If only because of her love for him. God gets so ecstatic when we do things for him simply because we love him. How many times do we do things simply because of the fact that we love God? If I'm honest, not many. That thought doesn't cross my mind. I just know that I need to do certain things for him. What a revolutionary way of thinking! If every time I didn't want to do something, and was reminded that I love God and that is my motivation. I think my entire perspective on life would change. Literally.

Being so sucked into my own stuff meant that I completely forgot about other people. Maybe not completely. But mostly. Then BAM! I was sitting and listening to a sermon from another pastor and he was talking about thinking of others as more important than yourself. Living a humble life. And God was talking to me about servant leadership. As this new season begins, I'm finding myself in a leadership role. Honestly, I haven't had one in quite a while. Servant leadership is something that I learned about during my days as an intern, when I traveled around the country with an organization called TeenPact. What I forgot was that being a servant leader isn't just in leadership, it is in everyday life. Moment by moment, we are called to be different, to show Christ. Those are the the moments that being a leader is the most important. Because when you aren't seen as important, but you still be the servant leader on a quiet level, people see the Jesus that shines in you. You're right, maybe no one will see. That's not the reason to do those things. The motive of your heart should be that God wants you to.

You might be a little bit confused cause I was talking about our value not being in the things that we do, then I went on to talking about why we do things for Christ.
When we are rooted in Christ's love, we are living in that and our value is in him, it is a hundred times easier to do things and know that that's not why God loves us. But beware, it is easy to get sucked into the performance mentality that the things we do gives us value.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 John 4:16

God is love. 

Let him love you. 

For you.

Known

Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me. 
Psalm 139:1a

When we feel unknown, we can rest in the truth that we are known. We are thoroughly, fully, minutely known, for who we are, what we are doing and how we are doing. Even when you have no clue how you're doing. That is the beauty of our God.

He knows the desires of our hearts.

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
 Psalm 20:4


Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

And as you can see, he wants to give them to us. All throughout the old testament, God gives men the desires of their hearts, when they are doing it with the right motives and even when they do not. Yet, God still honors those. Lately, I've been trying to figure out what the desire of my heart is. Since I was 10 years old, I thought I was going to be a lawyer. Have lots of money and be able to do real ministry later on down the road. Of course, being a lawyer is a ministry in it of itself, but I've always wanted to be a speaker. And even though it seems like I get worse and WORSE at speaking as I get older, I still would love to do that. Let's be real, that's ministry. Not law. Who knows. God is in control. If I'm supposed to go to law school, he'll provide the money, the way and what school I should go to. If it's ministry, I have no idea where I'm going to start, but he'll show me that path too. Oh, if only God would point me in a specific direction. What a relief that would be. But this is faith strengthening. I just gotta keep remembering that :) Go God!

Take a jump. 

Leap into the unknown. 

You don't need to know. 

'Cause God does.

Be Filled

Ask me how my week was and I will probably tell you long, or hard.

Ask me what God has been teaching me, and I could write you a novel.

As I sit listening to the rain fall and basking in God's greatness, I have to wonder why my first response to the first question would be long.

[Side note: Rain is God's way of telling me everything is going to be okay]

Moving right along. I guess this week could be summed up in a few words...filled with God. But my tendency is to remember how I really felt. My goal is to be authentic and real. The real answer is that my week was long. There were so many bumps in the road, unseen twists and turns, and yet, it was still good. But the reason that it was good is God. That's literally it. By Tuesday, I knew that I was only running on Jesus juice. There is no possible way that I am capable of dealing with all the crap that has been happening. It's only by the grace of God. But it's easy to remember the bad, and incredibly normal to forget the good. Why is that? Beats me, I'm asking you. But I've been trying so hard to remember how good my God is. He has my best interest in mind, he loves me all the time and DESIRES to be a intimate part of my life.

The God of the Universe, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth, wants to kick it with me. That is what is up.

I told you a couple posts ago that I was having a hard time looking at the world and not being sad. There is so much pain, heartache and sadness that is scattered all over this planet. Recently, I've felt like there have been more problems than usual. Maybe it's just that I'm getting to know more people and with that comes their problems too, or maybe it's just God's way of revealing to me how much more he wants me to depend on him. Either way, there are problems. A wee bit of back story for you, when I was 15 I had this issue with my stomach. For like 3 months straight, my stomach hurt every day. I took Rolaids like they were going out of style. Cause for me, when my stomach hurts, I can't function. This led to going to a doctor and him telling me it was stress. I figured out that I tend to take the whole world on my shoulders and never really let anyone help me. Honestly, I love hearing what people are going through, especially my friends. I've had random people open up to me about their entire lives, and I love that as well. God has given me that gift and I wouldn't have it any other way. But then it becomes a lesson to me to, like the old cliche says, "Let go, and let God."

This past Sunday, my college pastor, Paul was speaking at the Grove Church. We've been going through Genesis for the past couple months. He was speaking on chapter 49:1-4. Paul is a great speaker normally, but this sermon was one of his best for sure. (I'll put a link to the podcast at the bottom) He was talking about faith.

He started with Hebrews 11:1 that says:
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 
 Is God calling you to jump? To be different than the staus quo?
Last week for college group we went rock climbing. It was awesome! But there was this moment of fear while I was climbing that the person belaying me wasn't gonna catch me. Relief washed over me at the end though because I knew that the faith I had was put in the right thing. That's how life is, when we put our faith in Christ, we are relieved to know at the end that our faith was in the right place the entire time. Something that really hit me was that Paul said that God doesn't view us by our weaknesses. He sees our strengths and how we can use them. God says, "Look at what you can be. You are beautiful." He doesn't want us to be complacent in the place where we're at. No. He wants us to be filled with him. We don't think we need to be filled, but to able to live, we have to be filled with Christ. As long as we are filled with Christ, we can be a like a lions cub. A lions cub is worry free because they know that the lion and lioness are protecting it. The cub is carefree. That's what God wants us to be, because he is always protecting us. He's got our back, no matter what. Even in the saddest of moments, the most irritating situation, and the angriest circumstances. All of this said, what I realized is that it always comes back to....

Trust. 

God wants us to live in boldness, not fear. 

He wants us to trust him.

But that takes faith. 

When you put your faith in him, 

you can trust that is in the right place. 

No Fear

Live Boldly

The reason I know that I have to give everything to God is because he'll do a way better job of taking care of things than I will. It's proven fact. I'm not capable of handling any situation without Christ as my lion. I'll just be the little cub that lives without fear. :) It's not gonna be easy, but it is SO worth it.

Are you up to the challenge? 

Live boldly, free of fear.

Reality. It can hit you hard sometimes.

The cliche of Hollywood is that another actor or actress is going to have a stint in rehab, or they've started doing crack or something in the like. We always expect it to happen to them because they have so many problems bladdy bladdy blah.

But what I've been seeing as I grow up is that everyone has problems. There are so many things that we deal with on a regular basis and we choose to hold it inside. We look around at our friends and family and wonder what's so bad about their lives. Reality is, we all have our struggles. God didn't tell us life with him would be a walk in the park, no sirree, he told us that he would never leave us nor forsake us. We always have the strength to push past stuff, to run from temptation, to see the good in the seemingly horrible, because he is with us. I know, I know, you've heard it all before.

For me today, this was a reminder and a rejuvenation to my heart and soul. Do you know why? Because it means that my hardships are just as legitimate as yours. You and I have very different lives. We are different people. Regardless, your struggles were meant for you, and mine were meant for me.

The problem? Most of the time we judge people according to the problem they're going through. And more often than not, we think that it's "not as bad as it seems." Sad? Yeah, you should feel bad. How is that showing someone else compassion? It's not. Our job isn't to judge others issues, it's to show them love. To be an example of Christ to everyone we come in contact with. We're called to show grace like God gave his grace freely to us.

Each of us have struggles. We are given struggles, hardships, trials, whatever you call them...so that we cling to Jesus even more. A couple of days ago I was laying in bed thinking about this; the struggles I'm having and God brought Psalm 23 to mind.

The LORD is my shepherd;
         I shall not want.
 ² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
         He leads me beside the still waters.
 ³ He restores my soul;
         He leads me in the paths of righteousness
         For His name’s sake.
        
 ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
         I will fear no evil;
         For You are with me;
         Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
        
 ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
         You anoint my head with oil;
         My cup runs over.
 ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
         All the days of my life;
         And I will dwell^[a] in the house of the LORD
         Forever.
 Psalm 23

This is in New King James Version cause that how I memorized it when I first learned it. And I absolutely love the phrasing. Remember that God has got you, he loves you very much and he WILL protect you. 

Worship

A long time ago, I was talking with a friend about worship. We were comparing the type of worship we had at our churches; he sang hymns and I sang contemporary songs. He said it wasn't about the music, worship was about the heart. In my naive state of mind, I thought he was wrong. Ever since then, I've been striving for that to be my worship. It's not just about the music or the way it's played. It's the words that we sing.

There have been so many times during the praise and worship time at church, or college group or whatever that I just don't seem to get into the songs. But when I look outside of myself and just bask in the glory of Jesus, my heart isn't focused on anything besides him. And that's what worshiping is to me. Letting everything around me become invisible, and just sitting with my Savior. My eyes aren't looking around at other people, they are set on Jesus. Nothing else in the world matters at that moment.

That worship is is something I've had to learn. It wasn't taught to me, it was spoken, all those years ago, from a young man who simply knew how to worship. His worship impacted my life, even though he'll probably never know that.

Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 
Psalm 30:4

Every action, every thought, every thing, needs to be surrendered to Him. Worship is a lifestyle. It's choosing to not say something just because you want people to like you. It's making the choice to take every thought captive. It's choosing to love people when you don't want to. It's choosing to not scream at the driver that just cut you off. It's choosing to care, even when you don't feel cared for. Worship can be one of the most amazing things. If you allow yourself to fall away. To worship. But that looks different for each person. I encourage you to seek after God and find out what worship looks like for you. 

Beauty Will Rise

Beauty is so prevalent in each of our lives. Sometimes we choose not to see it, sometimes we see it but don't appreciate it, but more often than not we focus on ourselves and miss it altogether. When we take the time to look around and see the beauty that is all around us, we see it in every single thing. Every person is beautiful, whatever shape and size they are. Every tree, plant, even rock. It's not simply because of the physical aspect, it's the fact that it was created by God.

Pain is so prevalent in each of our lives. The type of pain may be different, but nonetheless, it's there. That pain can be so overwhelming that it can look like our saving grace. What it looks like and what it actually is, are two very different things. That "saving grace" can mean the end to the gift God has freely given you, life. Pain is not a thing to be dwelt upon, it can turn you bitter, sad, depressed and broken in so many places. But that pain can also be a thing to change how you live your life. For me, pain shows me how much more I need Jesus. Every experience that I know I can't handle, reminds me of how much I can't handle this life on my own.

I'm not usually one for songs speaking to me but there have been a couple this week where the lyrics really spoke to my heart.

Strong Enough by Matthew West

You must
You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through

Well, forgive me
Forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own

I know I'm not strong enough to be
everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not stong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
For the both of us

Well, maybe
Maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up

Cause when I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
Well, that's when I start looking up
And reaching out

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

Cause I'm broken
Down to nothing
But I'm still holding on to the one thing
You are God
and you are strong
When I am weak

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

Oh, yeah

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
Strong enough

Beauty Will Rise by Steven Curtis Chapman

It was the day the world went wrong
I screamed til my voice was gone
And watched through the tears as everything
Came crashing down

Slowly panic turns to pain
As we awake to what remains
And sift through the ashes
That are left behind

But buried deep beneath
All our broken dreams we have this hope

Out of these ashes beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of these ashes beauty will rise
For we know joy is coming in the morning
In the morning, beauty will rise

So take another breath for now
And let the tears come washing down
And if you can't believe, I will believe for you

Cause I have seen the signs of spring
Just watch and see

Out of these ashes beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of these ashes beauty will rise
For we know joy is coming in the morning
In the morning

I can hear it in the distance
And it's not too far away
It's the music and the laughter
Of a wedding and a feast
I can almost feel the hand of God
Reaching for my face to wipe the tears away
You say it's time to make everything new
Make it all new

This is our hope
This is a promise
This is our hope
This is a promise

It will take our breath away
To see the beauty that's been made
Out of the ashes, out of the ashes

It will take our breath away
To see the beauty that He's made
Out of the ashes, out of the ashes

Out of these ashes
Beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see it with our own eyes
Out of this darkness
New light will shine
And we'll know the joy that's coming in the morning
In the morning
Beauty will rise

Oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, beauty will rise
 

The italicized part of the songs are the lines that really spoke to my heart. So much of the time, I have to be the strong one. I have this idea that people need me to be that, and when I'm alone, then I can show my feelings. But for some reason, I forget that God don't give me more than I can handle with Him. He's so awesome to do that! We don't deserve it, but he tells us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. And even in the pain, beauty will rise from the ashes. Those truths are enough to take my breath away.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 
Matthew 11: 28-30

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. 
1 Corinthians 1:8-9 

Each of us have times in our lives, when we are overwhelmed, when we want to give up, when we want to give into the pain and let it be our "saving grace." In reality, our real saving grace, is Jesus Christ. He is the one that brings your beauty up from the ashes. Will you let him?