Stressed?

Testimony of an anonymous friar in a Nebraska monastery
(written later in his life)...

If I had my life to live over again, I'd try to make more mistakes next time.
I would relax, I would limber up, I would be sillier than I have been on this trip.
I know of very few things I would take seriously. I would take more trips. I would be crazier. I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, and watch more sunsets.
I would do more walking and looking.
I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would have more actual troubles, and fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I'm one of those people who lives life prophylactically and sensibly hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again I'd have more of them.
In fact, I'd try to have nothing else, just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead each day. I've been one of those people who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot-water bottle, a gargle, a raincoat, aspirin, and a parachute.
If I had to do it over again I would go places, do things, and travel lighter than I have.
If I had my life to live over I would start barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.
I would play hookey more. I wouldn't make such good grades, except by accident. I would ride on more merry-go-rounds. I'd pick more daisies.


I hope that at the end of my life, I don't have similar things to say. How about you?

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10

Allow the Lord, not stress or worry, to direct your day-to-day life!

Submission & Inward Beauty

"Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."
(1 Peter 3:1-4 ESV)

These are a few of the verses my pastor preached on today. You can see that the message of this passage is directed toward wives, but I actually got a lot out of it even as a single woman. I wanted to share it on my blog to hopefully bless others with what the Lord is teaching and challenging me in.

To begin, here are some of my notes from the sermon. I spaced them out to hopefully make them easier to follow as you read them:

Wives, your submission is a powerful ministry to your husband and very precious in God's sight.
Wives must submit to their husbands as a powerful Gospel witness.
Wives must submit even amidst suffering.

It's not about your happiness. It's about the glory of God and your holiness.
If you're living out your purpose for the glory of God, He will bring joy and contentment.

This passage is not only to wives with unbelieving husbands.
Believing husbands are ALSO impacted by their wives submission.

It is a wife's conduct that is most powerful.
Not her persuasive words but her persuasive life...

Right submission begins with a fear of the Lord.
Holy conduct is powerful. When the wife is living a holy and Godly life, the husband sees these things and is impacted.

A wife's primary responsibility is her inward beauty not outward.
Outward appearance can be destructive and deceiving.
Certain adornments can draw unnecessary attention.
Outward appearance should not be first priority. If we're focused most on the outward, there are other things we are likely neglecting that are more important.

A wife's focus should not be on what is perishable but what is imperishable.
Appearance seems to be everything in this world. A lot of relationships are built on appearance which is lead by infatuation rather than wisdom.
(There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.)

The "imperishable" isn't always evident immediately. You may need to be around it awhile to see it. Also you must be of like mind to see it.
What is it? A quiet and gentle spirit.

Examples were given of what it means to have a quiet and gentle spirit.

It is this inner beauty that God highly values. We need to value what God values!

Wives have a vital ministry to the kingdom of God!
God's Word says that this is very precious in His sight.

Submission to husbands has always been the pattern of Godly women. (1 Peter 3:5,6)
Holy women of past focused on inward beauty and submission. They focused on making themselves beautiful inwardly.


So...submission to husbands and inner beauty are the main focus. Now it could be easy for me to believe this doesn't apply to me yet because I'm not married. I can definitely use this passage to encourage many of my friends who are already married. But...I COULD be married one day as I would like to be. Yet, God may not plan for me to ever be married which I am open to if He never brings along a man who can lead me in the way that I desire to be lead Spiritually. Either way, I still believe that this can apply to me in many ways.

Wives are called to submit to their husbands. Am I submitting to the authorities that God has placed in my life at the current time? Am I submitting to God in humble obedience to the things that He calls me to do today? Am I surrounding myself with examples of Godly married women who are faithfully submitting to their own husbands?
There is much I can learn about submission as a single woman, and the more I learn NOW the more prepared I'll be should I one day become married!

I like how Pastor Rick stated that it's not about our happiness but about the glory of God and our personal holiness. This can also be applied to other areas of life, but it encourages me as a person who would like to be married. I am reminded that marriage isn't any better or easier than being single, but may in fact be more difficult. So it's encouraging to be more thankful for the place that God has put me for the time being. I know that God's ultimate purpose for me is to make me more like Christ, not to make me happy in this life. And though He does bless us with happiness, He may allow for pain in life to bring about the holiness that He desires which will ultimately bring more joy to me although I may not see it or like it in the moment!

Right submission begins with fear of the Lord. Now THIS applies to all of us! It's really cool too because this is something that the Lord has been teaching me already in the past few weeks. I've been reminded that fear of God is the only fear I must have and that I need not fear man in any way- what man may do or what man may think of me. God's opinion and God's approval is the only ONE that matters. So to be learning more about fearing God and having more reverence for Him is much needed in my life and a way in which this passage can apply to me whether or not I may get married!

A wife's primary responsibility is her inward beauty. Ok, so this applies to single women too. This is one of the things that most impacted me from the sermon because I AM single and I would like to attract the right man. But what qualities am I displaying in my life to attract that right man? Am I displaying the qualities that are listed in this passage that a wife is to have? Because, for one thing, if I am displaying them now, they will be more easy to display if I ever do get married. But even more importantly(at least for where I am at), if I am displaying them now I will be more likely to draw the right kind of attention and not attention from the kind of guy that I would never want to be married to!
So...am I too focused on my outward appearance? Am I more consumed with looking good outwardly than looking good inwardly?
I like how Pastor said that we must be of like mind to see it...So the right guy will be of the right mind to notice these things that are beautiful and precious and valuable to God. Therefore, they'll also be precious to him!
And should it not be the Lord's will for me to be married, it's still the best way to live to bless everyone else that I come in contact with because I'll be more focused on God and on serving Him (which includes serving others) rather than being focused on myself.

I desire to follow the pattern of Godly women who are all throughout the pages of Scripture and also the Godly women of ages past and those in my life today that God has given to me to look up to, encourage, and learn from! I am very grateful for my Grandma and for my own mom who have given me great examples of what it means to be a submissive wife with this inward beauty.

I think that this inward beauty is a gift from God and also something that we have to strive for if we desire to have it in our lives.
And for those of you who are married, I'm sure that submission to your husband isn't easy. But remember that it is honoring and glorifying to God, and He tells you that you must submit first to Him and then to your husband. It is something that you may have to prayerfully strive for every day, but will be blessed by God for setting aside your own selfishness at times and following God no matter what the cost!
And to the other single girls out there, be encouraged! God's timing is best and He knows what He is doing in your life and in the life of your future husband if He has one planned for you. Strive to be the best woman that you can be for the glory of God and that's all that matters. Life isn't about us. It's about Him. He is working on us to make us holy...Sometimes it can be a rough road, but it will be worth it all in the end when we come face to face with our Savior!

The Most Wonderful Message Ever to be Heard!

This is a repost from several Christmases ago, but It's definitely worth sharing again!


Another word to you all from my book "Knowing God." I actually read this chapter about God incarnate(in human form) a couple months ago. But it is something that I went back and reread because it has everything to do with the Christmas season for this is what Christmas is all about.
It is all too easy for us to get wrapped up in the world's definition of Christmas when we are surrounded by it every day everywhere we go. Let's take the time to meditate on our Savior and the reason why we even have Christmas and why we as Christians may have true "joy" in our hearts as we celebrate the birth of our Lord. May we be reminded of what it meant for Him to come to earth to die, and let's pray that the Lord will use us to share this hope with others who are in need of salvation.
Merry CHRISTmas!
~

"The Word became flesh." (Jn 1:14) God became man.
The Christmas message rests on the staggering fact that the child in the manger was- GOD.

The baby born at Bethlehem was God made man. The Word had become flesh: a real human baby. He had not ceased to be God; He was no less God than before; but He had begun to be man. He was not now God MINUS some elements of His deity, but God PLUS all that He had made His own by taking manhood to Himself.
ALL THIS WAS FOR OUR SALVATION!

He became poor. We see now what it meant for the Son of God to empty Himself and become poor. It meant laying aside of glory. It meant love to the uttermost for unlovely human beings, that they through His poverty might become rich.
The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity- hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory- because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear.

We talk glibly of the "Christmas spirit," rarely meaning more by this than sentimental jollity on a family basis. But what we have said makes it clear that the phrase should carry a tremendous weight of meaning. It ought to mean the reproducing in human lives of the temper of Him who for our sake became poor at the first Christmas. And the Christmas spirit itself ought to be the mark of every Christian all the year round.

The Christmas spirit is the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor- spending and being spent- to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care and concern, to do good to others- and not just their own friends- in whatever way there seems need.

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:5

Sovereign Over Us

Still You Love Me

STILL YOU LOVE ME by Aaron Shust

I've never felt so undeserving
Than when You called out for me
I've never been more unworthy
When You reached down for me
I'm lifting hands, stained and dirty
To touch my Savior's face
And I know now, I am touching grace

You see everything I do
But still You love me
You hear everything that I say
But still You want me
You know all my darkest secrets
That I try so hard to hide
You know everything I am
But still You love me, still You love me

Amazing love, how can it be
That You would die for me
Amazing grace, oh, the mystery
My blinded eyes now see
When I fall, when I stumble
I struggle to my feet
Just to find grace is lifting me

You see everything I do
But still You love me
You hear everything that I say
But still You want me
You know all my darkest secrets
That I try so hard to hide
You know everything I am
But still You love me

There's nothing I can say
To make You turn away
There's nowhere I can go
You're never far away

You see everything I do
But still You love me
You hear everything I say
But still You want me

You know all my darkest secrets
That I try so hard to hide
You know everything I am
But still You love me, still You love me
Still You love me
--------------------------------

Where Do You Place Your Hope?

[I have typed up an excerpt from Paul David Tripp's book "Forever" out of the chapter, "Hope Can't Live Without Forever." I hope as I share this, that it will be challenging to you as it was to me when I read it. Also, I highly recommend this particular book. It is one of the most influential/life-changing books that I have ever read...and I read a lot of books!]

If you are God's child, you can have hope in the middle of all the tough things you face, not only because in all of those moments God is with you, but also because the cross of Jesus guarantees you that all that is broken will be made new forever. You can live today knowing that you have a future that is beyond the boundaries of your wildest imagination. If you are God's child, you have hope because God is hope, and you have a hope that will last forever because He has defeated the one thing that will stand between you and forever: death.

Sadly, many of us who by God's grace have been given hope don't live as if we have it. We look for hope where hope can't be found. We place our hope in things that can never deliver. We live hopelessly because we fail to live with forever in view. We live for the next vacation, the next thrilling experience, the next stunning achievement. We put our hope in the hands of flawed and finite people, burdening our relationships with expectations that they can never deliver. We ask inanimate objects to give us reason to get up in the morning, but they never can.

Sure, the things in which we put our hope give us a temporary buzz and a temporary rest, but reality always hits. These things all disappoint us in the end. No matter how wonderful the situations in our life are, no matter how beautiful our possessions are, no matter how exciting our experiences are, no matter how fulfilling our accomplishments are, and no matter how loving the people in our lives are, they will only satisfy us temporarily. They simply cannot carry our hope. How different would your life and mine be if we remembered that everything that exists in the created world is meant to be a finger pointing us to the only place where hope can be found?

John Waller- Because God Is Good

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

He is Good & Does Good

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains." -C.S. Lewis


"Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.
You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.
It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction." (From Psalm 119)

Peace

In Acceptance Lieth Peace

by Amy Carmichael

He said, “I will forget the dying faces;
The empty places,
They shall be filled again.
O voices moaning deep within me, cease.”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in forgetting lieth peace.

He said, “I will crowd action upon action,
The strife of faction
Shall stir me and sustain;
O tears that drown the fire of manhood, cease.”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in endeavor lieth peace.

He said, “I will withdraw me and be quiet,
Why meddle in life’s riot?
Shut be my door to pain.
Desire, thou dost befool me, thou shalt cease.”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in aloofness lieth peace.

He said, “I will submit; I am defeated.
God hath depleated
My life of its rich gain.
O futile murmurings, why will ye not cease?”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in submission lieth peace.

He said, “I will accept the breaking sorrow
Which God tomorrow
Will to His son explain.”
Then did the turmoil deep within him cease.
Not vain the word, not vain;
For in acceptance lieth peace.


"Whatever your circumstances, and however difficult they may be, the truth is that they are ordained by God for you as part of His overall plan for your life. God does nothing, or allows nothing, without a purpose. And His purposes, however mysterious and inscrutable they may be to us, are always for His glory and our ultimate good." -Jerry Bridges

Lord, I am willing to-
Receive what You give,
Lack what You withold,
Relinquish what You take.

His Directions WILL Lead our Steps to Himself!

In my previous post, I asked some specific questions. In this particular post, I am hoping to explain how the Lord has answered these questions for me.

So to start, let's be reminded of my questions:

What am I doing with my life?

Is it what I'm supposed to be doing?

Am I where I want to be?

Or better yet, am I where God wants me to be?

Okay, now I want to look again at the verses that the Lord directed me to as I was struggling with these questions just a couple of months ago.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." Proverbs 16:9

"I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps." Jeremiah 10:23 

I mentioned how I have become discontent because of where I am at in life and how I'm often questioning whether or not I'm where I'm meant to be and am I doing the things that God wants me to be doing. I admitted to my struggle with waiting on the Lord's timing for things(things I think I want or need to have in life); and how I would attempt to take matters into my own hands instead of trusting that my God is in control and simply continuing to seek Him and His leading in my life to the green pastures, beside the still waters, and in the paths of righteousness.(Psalm 23)
From experience, I know that when we become impatient with waiting on the Lord we can fall into the trap of worshiping other things- clinging to worthless idols in our lives that may temporarily make us feel happy in life but ultimately leave us feeling empty and only wanting more.

There is much to be learned in the "waiting" periods, and they are just as important to us in our walk with the Lord as other times in our lives. If we can trust God and serve Him in the "mundane" things and waiting rooms in life, we will be much more prepared and likely to be trusting Him elsewhere. (And I might add that waiting isn't doing nothing. Waiting patiently is really a beautiful way of displaying your trust in the Lord. He gives us so many verses in Scripture that admonish us to wait on Him!)

Anyway, these are some of the things I've been learning over the past weeks/months, and I've come to realize that I am currently exactly where God wants me to be for the time being. How has He shown me this? How do I know? How can I be so certain? Well, the Holy Spirit has a way of giving that peace of God that surpasses all understanding when we are offering up our requests to God with thanksgiving rather than being anxious and worried about what is going to happen next in life.(Phil. 4:6,7)

I am hopeful that my feeble attempts to explain some of the recent Spiritual growth spurts in my own life will be an encouragement to others who might read this. 
I've read in one of my many books that the best way to know God's will for your life is to know God. How do we know Him? We spend time with Him really reading and meditating upon His Word and spending quality time in prayer and in quiet communion with Him.
For me this meant temporarily abstaining from some things in my life to silence some of the noise- to clean out some of the clutter- to basically not be involved in or have access to some specific things that were a distraction to me. I found it to be very refreshing and very eye-opening to the fact that 1)I CAN live without them and 2)I can live BETTER without them or at least without so much of them in my life consuming my time and attention. 

Try it...if you take something out of your life for a short period of time, you will find out how much it controls you by your response to not having it! Many of the things that occupy our time are not even necessary in life. I am reminded of the story of Mary and Martha in Luke chapter 10 where Jesus responds to Martha's complaints about her sister saying, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Did you catch that?? He says, "One thing is necessary." We have to realize that the one thing is Himself. The only thing necessary in life is Jesus. He is all we need! (Colossians 3:11- ..but Christ is all, and in all.)

So anyway, all that to say that I am thankful that God is patient and loving. I am so grateful that He is good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon Him (Psalm 68:5).
He has a beautiful way of teaching us the things that He wants us to learn about Himself and about our own selves. He is committed to molding us and shaping us to be more like our Savior, and in that I find much peace especially in my moments of failure(which are all too often...). I am constantly reminded of my need for Him.

I want to close in saying that no matter what you're struggling with, God is there for you and will help you if you only ask Him. I love Psalm 62:5-8 which says, "For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah"

In Jeremiah 33:3 He tells us, "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."

 I can promise that you won't regret it if you cut out some of the "clutter" and noise in your life to seek the Lord instead. He just might direct your steps more than ever before, and I trust you'll find out that His direction is never wrong. His directions will lead you to Himself and believe me(BELIEVE HIS WORD), there is no better place to be. Call to Him! Trust in Him! Pour out your heart before Him! He is all that matters in this life. He is everything to hope for now and in the life to come.

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God." Psalm 84:1,2 

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple." Psalm 27:4

"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works." Psalm 73:25-26,28

Oh Lord, Direct My Steps...

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9
"I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps." Jeremiah 10:23

What am I doing with my life? Is it what I'm supposed to be doing? Am I where I want to be? Or better yet, am I where God wants me to be?
I must say that I go through many moments of feeling discontent because of where I'm at. In these moments, I consider all the options of what else I could possibly do that might make me happy and feel more fulfilled. My mind starts to imagine all sorts of crazy things that might be where I am SUPPOSED to be. I wish I could say that I immediately run to God and ask HIM for direction, but I can't. Instead, I must admit that I tend to run in every other direction BUT to Him. I run to my friends for advice, I look at what other people are doing with their lives and wonder if that's what I should do, I hide behind facebook, music, movies, food, etc...And then I end up miserable because all of that running has gotten me nowhere but more discontent and more unsatisfied and even farther away from the One who can and will give me the comfort and answers that I am looking for.
Why do we feel like we need to take matters into our own hands and try to control things? Why do we become so impatient while waiting on the Lord for whatever it is that He has asked us to wait for?

As I am writing this, my little sister sent me a video of her precious baby. Madison was happy at the moment of pressing the record button, but she soon breaks out into tears and a little baby cry. I replied to Bethany and said it made me want to cry too...Bethany said, "Aww! It's even worse when you see the tears in her eyes. :-("...My response was, "I wonder if God feels that way with us..."

He loves us, and wants what's best for us! All He asks is for us to trust Him...to have faith and believe in what He has promised. Why then do we feel like we have to make our own plans sometimes even before seeking what He is telling us to do? Why don't we let Him take control? Get THIS: He is in control anyway whether we LET Him be or not. The only thing we control is our response to what He places in our path each day.

He is there. He is for us. He is working all things out for our good. We can trust Him to direct our steps.
Oh Lord, direct my steps...Not my will, but Yours.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

YOU Are Loved

No matter what has happened or what will happen, 

God's response to you is the same. 

You are His.

You are loved.

You are accepted.

You will never lose value in God's eyes.

Taken from Elyse M. Fitzpatrick's book, "Comforts From The Cross" 

 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in My eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life...Fear not, for I am with you...everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made." -Isaiah 43

What Is Happy Living?

Is it not a sad proof of the alienation of our nature that though God is everywhere we have to school ourselves to perceive him anywhere? His are the beauties of nature, his the sunshine which is bringing on the harvest, his the waving grain which cheers the husbandman, his the perfume which loads the air from multitudes of flowers, his the insects which glitter around us like living gems; and yet the Creator and Sustainer of all these is far too little perceived. Everything in the temple of nature speaks of his glory, but our ears are dull of hearing. Everything, from the dewdrop to the ocean, reflects the Deity, and yet we largely fail to see the eternal brightness.

I beseech you, my brethren, to pray that you may have this text wrought into your very souls: “I have set the Lord always before me.” Refuse to see anything without seeing God in it. Regard the creatures as the mirror of the great Creator. Do not imagine that you have understood his works till you have felt the presence of the great worker himself. Do not reckon that you know anything till you know that of God which lies within it, for that is the kernel which it contains. Wake in the morning and recognize God in your chamber, for his goodness has drawn back the curtain of the night and taken from your eyelids the seal of sleep: put on your garments and perceive the divine care which provides you with raiment from the herb of the field and the sheep of the fold. Go to the breakfast room and bless the God whose bounty has again provided for you a table in the wilderness: go out to business and feel God with you in all the engagements of the day: perpetually remember that you are dwelling in his house when you are toiling for your bread or engaged in merchandise. At length, after a well-spent day, go back to your family and see the Lord in each one of the members of it; own his goodness in preserving life and health; look for his presence at the family altar, making the house to be a very palace wherein king’s children dwell. At last, fall asleep at night as in the embraces of your God or on your Savior’s breast.

This is happy living. The worldling forgets God, the sinner dishonors him, the atheist denies him, but the Christian lives in him. “In him we live and move and have our being; we are also his offspring.” Visible things we look upon as shadows; the things which we touch and taste and handle perish in the using; the elements of this solid earth shall dissolve with fervent heat, but the ever-present God whom we cannot see is the same, and of his years there is no end, and his existence is the only real and true and eternal one to us. He has been our dwelling-place in all generations, and it were evil indeed not to know our own eternal home. This is a main ingredient in the oil of joy, — to realize always that the Lord is round about us “as the mountains are round about Jerusalem, from henceforth even for evermore.”

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "The Secret Of A Happy Life," delivered July 16, 1876.

Only He is Enough

"Who I am and what I have just doesn't seem like enough."

Have you ever made such a statement? Maybe you haven't actually come right out and said it, but you have felt it inside and thought it? I know that I sure have. There are many moments in my life when I feel like I am not good enough and not doing enough and don't have enough. I might think, "If I could just be _____ I would be happy," or, "If I just had ______ I would finally be content." We can fill in those blanks with anything and everything, can't we? Did you know that whatever you fill those spaces with is what you worship? That means that, if it's not the Lord, it is an idol in your life. Did you also know that those things will never complete you or fulfill you, but they will only leave you wanting more?

Whatever it is that you think is going to make you happy is what you'll put all of your time and energy into. You will spend your life searching for whatever it is that you believe you need to be fulfilled.

We talked about this in Sunday school today as we taught the kids about Solomon and how his heart was turned away from God by the many wives that he had and by their gods. We were created to worship, and if it's not God that we're worshiping, we will find something else to worship. Everything else will disappoint us though, and we won't receive God's best for us because we aren't seeking Him. HE is His best for us. This is why He tells us in Matthew 22 that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
Only through Him will we discover true and lasting contentment. We will never find fulfillment or satisfaction in life until we turn to Him.

God has given us desires for a reason. Those desires may not be bad in and of themselves, but they are bad if we're looking to those desires to fulfill us. God gives us these desires to lead us to Christ, the only One who can actually fulfill them.
"At the center of every idol we worship is an underlying God-given appetite. The problem comes when we turn to something other than God to fulfill it." -Pete Wilson
All the things that God blesses us with are to bring us back to Him! He is the real gift, the real prize, the real reward! We aren't meant to worship the gifts but the Giver of the gifts. And if He isn't giving us what we think we want it's likely because it's not what we need or what He wants for us. God knows what's best for us and can give to us what none of these earthly things could ever offer to us.

Are you trusting in something or someone to give you what only God can give? I know that I certainly have done this, and God is reminding me that He's already all that I need(check out the Christy Nockels song in my post prior to this one). He is reminding me that I need to experience Him daily in order to keep Him first in my life. If I'm not spending time in the Word and in prayer daily I am so quick to fall away and leave the God I love for things of this world that are constantly calling out to me and promising to make me happy. If I'm not living close to the truth, it's easy for the truth to be blurred and for other things to look good when really they aren't. When I am spending time with my Savior and remember His death on the cross and His love for me and grace in my life and forgiveness of my filth, everything else is meaningless compared to Him.
We've got to be in the Word daily!! We need it! Just like we need food to nourish and strengthen our physical bodies, we need our Spiritual food to nourish and strengthen us Spiritually so we are prepared to wage war against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

So what is it that you think you need in order to be happy? If it's not God, then pray that He would change your heart to desire Him. Get your face in His Word. He is what you need and what your soul longs for. Stop searching for happiness elsewhere and find it in Christ. He will never let you down or leave you feeling empty. He is all you need- all I need. He is more than enough.

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 

Already All I Need

Already All I Need
by Christy Nockels

Asking where You are, Lord,
wondering where You've been 
is like standing in a hurricane, trying to find the wind  
and hoping for Your mercy to meet me where I am  
is forgetting that Your thoughts for me outnumber the sand  
You filled the sun with morning light 
You bid the moon to lead the night  
You clothe the lilies bright and beautiful  

[chorus] 
You're already all I need  
already everything that I could hope for  
You're already all I need  
You've already set me free  
already making me more like You 
You're already I need 
Jesus  
You're already all I need

walking through this life without Your freedom in my heart 
is like holding on to shackles that You have torn apart  
so remind me of Your promises and all that You have done  
in this world I will have trouble  
but You have overcome  
and every gift that I receive You determine just for me  
but nothing I desire compares to You  

[chorus]

[bridge] 

in your fullness You're my all in all  
and in Your healing I'm forever made whole 
and in Your freedom Your love overflows  
and carries me  
You carry me 
yes You carry me  
You carry me 

[chorus]

What A Friend We Have In Jesus!

What A Friend We Have In Jesus

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a Friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.

Be Encouraged

I wonder if the things that I post on my blog and on my facebook make me appear to be amazing and spectacular...like I have it all together...It's not that I fear what you may think...I just don't want people to be mislead into thinking that I post this stuff because I am wonderful. That's not the case. In the words of the apostle Paul, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." 
The things that I post...I post them because I need it! I post it because I need that reminder, and I am hopeful that the Lord will also use it to encourage others.
But in no way have I achieved these things...I am a work in progress.

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"(Phil. 3:12-14)

What is Life About?

One of the books I am currently reading is "Forever" by Paul David Tripp. This book is soooo good that I am taking my time while reading it to get the most out of it. Every page has been so encouraging to me as I face my own struggles and disappointments in this life.
I highly recommend "Forever" for everyone to read whether or not you are currently struggling with something. Why? Because you have in your past, and you're guaranteed to in the future as long as you're here on earth. The truths that are spoken of in this book will help you to know how to have the best perspective possible to help you make it through any and every difficulty you will ever face in your life.
(For the glory of God and for your good)!

The description of this book on the back cover says, "The Bible assures us that God has placed eternity in our hearts. It tells us we are created for pleasure, wired for joy- all with God at the center. But in a world that is broken and suffering, it's easy to forget this, living instead with a pack-it-all-in mentality, loading up the here and now with expectations that will only be fulfilled in eternity.

Fortunately, we don't have to live frustrating, disappointing lives. Instead, we can take heart, realizing that life doesn't feel right because it isn't right. It's not meant to be- not yet anyway.

Paul David Tripp points out that having an eternity perspective will enable us to live for something bigger than ourselves and larger than this moment. No longer trapped in the shrunken kingdom of "right here, right now," we will be able to lead lives of greater significance and peace."

Without eternity, Christianity makes no sense. Read 1 Corinthians 15(specifically verses 12-19)...Verse 19 says that, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied."

In closing of my blog post, I've typed up just a portion of the chapter from this book that I was reading today on my lunch break...Just to give you more of a taste of the book.

"The world we live in is a broken place not operating as it was designed to operate. In case you hadn't noticed, people are less than perfect. Add to this the fact that God has planned for us to live right where we are living so that we would be made ready for what comes next. For these reasons, we will not live lives where we are able to get from point A to point B unobstructed. This means that, in the here and now, we had better have a grander motivation when we get up in the morning than the hope that our day will be predictable, easy, and relatively free of hassle. Eternity gives us that kind of big-picture motivation. We stay focused on doing what is good, right, and true, not because in the short term it appears to be working, but because our living in the here and now fits with the big plan of what God is doing and where He is taking us. In the face of hassles, we tell ourselves that this is not our final destination. We constantly reassure ourselves with the reality that we are on our way to a place where there will be no more sin, suffering, chaos, confusion, hurt, brokenness, or disappointment. But if this life is all there is, and this isn't working, then what motivation do I have to continue? I have to have something bigger than me against the world. That's why Paul(In 1 Corinthians 15) ends his discussion of the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of life after death the way he does. Paul knows that in conquering death, Jesus has not only purchased for us the guarantee of life after death, but also the reality of life before death, a quality of life that wouldn't be possible apart from the new life and the resurrection of Jesus delivered."

We were NOT created for...

We were not created for our own liberty, happiness, or fulfillment.
We were not created to find our own way and to discover our own joy.
We were not designed to define what our needs are and to give our lives to meet them.
We were not made to treat the world like and endless buffet of delights for our consumption.

We were made for God, made to live for His glory, and made to find the fullest expression of our humanity in loving, worshipful community with Him.

(Quote from Paul David Tripp in his book "Forever".)

I Want to Fly, Not Crawl!

Excerpt taken from Francis Chan's "Forgotten God":

Years ago, when a random thought came into my head, I decided to share it with my wife. "Have you ever wondered what caterpillars think about?" I asked.
Not surprisingly, she said, "No."
Then I proceeded to tell her about the confusion I imagined a caterpillar must experience. For all its caterpillar life, it crawls around a small patch of dirt and up and down a few plants. Then one day it takes a nap. A long nap. And then, what in the world must go through its head when it wakes up to discover it can FLY? What happened to its dirty, plump little worm body? What does it think when it sees its tiny new body and gorgeous wings?

As believers, we ought to experience the same kind of astonishment when the Holy Spirit enters our bodies. We should be stunned in disbelief over becoming a "new creation" with the Spirit living in us. As the caterpillar finds its new ability to fly, we should be thrilled over our Spirit-empowered ability to live differently and faithfully. Isn't this what the Scriptures speak of? Isn't this what we've all been longing for?

It really is an astounding truth that the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. He lives in me. I do not know what the Spirit will do or where He'll lead me each time I invite Him to guide me. But I am tired of living in a way that looks exactly like people who do not have the Holy Spirit of God living in them. I want to be different today from what I was yesterday as the fruit of the Spirit becomes more manifest in me.

I want to live so that I am truly submitted to the Spirit's leading on a daily basis. Christ said it is better for us that the Spirit came, and I want to live like I know that is true. I don't want to keep crawling when I have the ability to fly.