Junk In, Junk Out

“Finally Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”   Philippians 4:8

None of us would make cookies with rotten eggs and sour milk and expect the cookies to taste amazing. Also, I don’t think any of us would use dirty water to take a shower in and expect to come out clean. So why do we think that we can fill our minds with all sorts of worldly music, movies, books, and friends and expect to have a pleasing aroma to the Lord or be a clean, refreshing reflection of Him?

            This is a question that I have struggled with over and over again, so I feel like that if I struggled with it, surely other people have too. I still don’t have all the answers, but I am going to try to explain what it means to be in the world and not of the world and why it is so important. 

Picture this- on top of a majestic mountain is a small spring of icy cold, crystal clear water that flows in a waterfall down the mountain to a shimmering lake that reflects the light of the sun. Then imagine that as seasons change and storms come and go, that little by little that spring becomes dirty and starts to get junk in it. Nothing major, just a leaf here and some dirt there, but as time goes by all those little things build up and start polluting and corrupting the spring and all the water flowing from it. When the spring is not protected from dirt and debris and the waters are not actively kept clean then there will be a decrease in the purity and freshness of the water which in the end ruins the beauty of the lake as well.

In the same way, what we put in our minds is what we get out of them. When we fill our minds with junky things we cannot expect to get purity and holiness back in return. Just like the spring, it doesn’t have to be the big things that pollute our minds; it can be the buildup of many little things that can destroy us. It doesn’t even have to be bad things that make our hearts dirty; when we don’t clean our hearts they get dusty, and when they get dusty our hearts cannot shine forth the light of our Lord and we get sloppy and undisciplined in our walk with our Savior.

We do not need to make a list of rights and wrongs and we cannot just make up a formula to guarantee a life of holiness. However, there are some biblical principles and guidelines to apply to each of our lives. There are many things the Bible is very specific about, like the Ten Commandments for example, and then there are things that the Bible seems vague on like what kind of music to listen to, what books to read, or what movies to watch. However, I firmly believe that the Bible has all that we need for life and godliness. So I am confident that whatever questions you have about how to live in this world can be answered by studying the Word of God.

God’s Word is like the cleansing agent for our souls- spiritual Windex, so to speak. Without it we become dirty, smeared, and dull Christians. Also, spending one-on-one time in the presence of God through a set apart quiet time is spiritual nourishment for us. When we don’t get fed properly we become mal-nourished in our souls and unable to serve God and others to our full potential.

The other week I was reading a little devotional to my Wednesday night class that was a huge blessing to me as I was thinking about how to write this chapter. As I stated before I have always struggled with the question ‘how can I live in this world and be a part of my country’s culture without becoming like the world’? This little devotional was explaining to children that when we become so caught up in what is going on in our own little worlds, that God ends up on the edge of our life then we have become too absorbed with ourselves and this godless world. So here is the point I am trying to make- God must be the center of our thoughts, our actions, and ultimately our lives. When things that we do interfere with that, then we have a problem. When we are so caught up in what new movie is coming out or who the hottest actors are, how can we focus on the majesty and beauty of the person of God? When we become so focused on making an “A” in our school work or when we work so much that we don’t have time to really sit down and be still, what will we do when things don’t go as we planned? When all we have is secular love songs and pointless music with no eternal significance blaring through our mp3 or iPod earphones, then how can we sing a new song to the Lord for all the things he has done? These are the type of questions that you have to ask yourself, because no one else knows where your heart is except for you and God.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying don’t watch new movies, don’t worry about making good grades, and never listen to secular music. That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is be careful that you don’t let those things define you. There is one thing that you cannot be compromising for and that is your walk with the Lord. Here are some ways that we can change the way we live in order to make God more a part of our lives… Maybe instead of going to see a movie in theatres, get some girlfriends together and watch a movie about a hero of the faith or start a Bible study. Instead of sacrificing a morning with God to making a perfect 100% on your next test, settle for 90% and trust God to bless that. Switch up your music. Stop listening to songs that are just filler music that are fun to listen to but don’t feed your soul. Find a solid Christian band that sings about biblical truth and sing praises out loud to the Lord. Or even better listen to some old hymns every once in a while. One of my personal favorite bands to listen to is Selah. When I am having a rough day and need some encouragement or perhaps I have not spent the time that I know I needed to with the Lord that morning, I’ll pop that CD in and sing all the way to school and by the time I get there I am so encouraged I know that God will lead me through that day.

Girls, if you want to serve God and if you truly are seeking to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength then you are going to have to immerse yourselves in God’s Word. Too often throughout school and at church I have heard these complaints from young women. “I feel like God is far away from me.” Or, “It is so hard to pray. I just can’t stay focused”. And, “I just don’t feel like I am growing as a Christian and I don’t know what I need to change.” I believe that the source of all these problems is that we have become too caught up in what we want, what we planned, and what we do. Do you see a pattern here? Who are we talking about? We are talking about us- OUR wants, Our plans, and OUR actions. Where isGOD? God is on the very edge of our hearts! Either consciously or unconsciously we have removed God from His rightful place on the throne of our hearts and placed Him in a dusty closet: out of sight, out of mind.

Just recently God has taught me the importance of nourishing and cleansing my heart and soul. I was in the middle of finals week in my last semester of college. I had not been consistently in the Word and had not been having a quiet time at all for about a week or more. I was spending hours in my school books, even more hours in class, and no time set apart to settle my spirit and meditate on God. I was finding myself very much on edge and snappy. My patience level was at about a 1 on a scale of 0-10. I was saying rude things to people, yelling at my brothers, and purposefully ignoring opportunities to serve people. By the end of finals week I was a mess spiritually. Then God fully arrested my heart by convicting me of my actions. The last straw was when my brother was being silly about some small issue that he could not get over and I stomped across the room yelling at him and just got so mad that I smacked him! I have never hit one of my brothers before and I am usually fairly even tempered. I shocked myself more than him I think, but God used that moment, and my own repulsive behavior to convict my heart. He showed me that when we are not praying and reading God’s Word regularly that is when the devil will find our weaknesses and strike without mercy and that is when our natural, sinful person shines through because we have blocked out the Holy Spirit’s leading and clouded over our conscience with trashy, unimportant junk.

My evil, sinful nature was at the center of my heart because God was not where He was supposed to be! What should I have done to avoid this situation? Is there any excuse for this kind of behavior? Absolutely not! Why is the verse at the beginning of this chapter, Philippians 4:8, so important for us to understand? Because God calls us to be Holy. “For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves and you shall be holy; for I am holy…”[1] What does it mean to think on things that are lovely, pure, and excellent? Obviously because we live in a fallen world and because we are fallen people, God does not expect perfection from us. If you read the context of Philippians 4, Paul is writing to encourage the saints in Philippi and he wants them to remember that we, as Christians, are not natives of this world. We belong to another country and we are just traveling through this temporary world. He wants us to have a mindset of always looking toward the high calling of Jesus Christ in our lives and towards the prize- eternal life in the indescribable presence of Jesus Christ! God also calls us to live purely because we are His ambassadors on the earth. An ambassador is one who represents a foreign country or is a spokesperson for someone who is not present. We are to be lights in the darkness, salt that makes the gospel savory to those who hear it, and a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. In the Sermon on the Mount in the book of Matthew, Jesus tells His people how to live. He says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven[2]”. That is our ultimate purpose- to glorify our Father in Heaven. The only way we can do that is by learning what it means to become more and more like Him, and God has given us all that we need to do that. Trust in Him and He will work all things out.  “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.[3]” Delight yourself in His Word and delight yourself in His presence and He will bless you beyond all that you can think or imagine!

---

[1] Leviticus 11:44a

[2] Matthew 5:16

[3] Psalm 37:4

Giving an Account

Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of sliver.

Proverbs 25:11

When someone says, “O she said a four letter word!” you know what they mean. They are not talking about food, hair, a book, or cola. You know they are talking about a bad word, a dirty word. Well this chapter is not about the sinfulness of cussing or using abusive language, here we are going to address a much more common problem with our words, a problem that is way to often over looked- The problem of gossip and impure words.

Words have very powerful meanings. God used words to create the world and raise people from the dead. He also used words to condemn people who were in opposition to Him.

In the book, Relationships- A Mess Worth Making, authors Tim Lane and Paul Tripp describe why watching what we say is so very important. They say,

“Because our words have power and direction, they always produce some kind of harvest. It will be a life harvest of comfort, encouragement, hope, insight, unity, and joy, or a death harvest of fear, discouragement, falsehood, division, and sadness. Words can open up the mysteries of the universe for someone. Words can crush a person’s spirit, excite, anger, or stimulate love. Words have power.”[1]

 Words can ruin some ones reputation or build someone up and the Bible says that we are accountable for every word that comes out of our mouths, so we have to be very careful. In the book of James, James uses some very descriptive language to describe the magnitude and power the tongue can have. Let’s take a look:

“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body… With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in His likeness.” James 3: 3-12.

Amy Carmichael, a missionary role model of mine in India, had several phrases that were conversation guidelines in the orphanage, Dohnavur that she started in 1901 for girls that were being sold to temples as cult prostitutes or babies that were going to be killed because of the poverty rate in India at the time.[2] One of the phrases she had was, “The absent are safe with us,” meaning that they wouldn’t gossip about others when they are gone, and the second one was … “Is it true, is it kind, and is it necessary?”

The phrase “the absent are safe with us” and “is it true” can be very similar in meaning. What they are both saying is that we won’t talk about other people in a negative way or talking about them when they can’t defend themselves. It also means that when other people gossip or talk about other people when they are not around that you will defend that person. I really do believe in the phrase “Innocent until proven guilty”, it means that we should always think the best about people until anything that they may have said or done is proven to be true.

 Gossip can spread like a wildfire and effect many people and ruin people’s lives.  In        Proverbs 16: 28 it says, “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends. I have seen on a first hand basis the effects that gossip can have on close friends, family members, and even an entire school! It is devastating what one wrong or misquoted word can do to some ones entire reputation. Gossip can have such a strong effect that it can cause people to question why they are alive and what purpose their life serves, which in turn can lead to suicide. God forbid that any of you ever be that person, who at the expense of others shares false or unproven facts about them.

 Gossip is an out-of-control wildfire of ignorance and immaturity. One way that you can combat the sin of gossip is to keep your thoughts pure. Why is it so important that you keep your thoughts pure? Because “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”[3] What you say is a reflection of what you think, and what you think is a reflection of the condition of your heart. If your heart is immersed in the Word of God and you are spending daily time with Him in prayer asking Him to guide your thoughts and your words, then your fight against unwholesome and sinful words will not be such a struggle. God will address all your needs if you will ask him.

Impure words, or talking about things that are inappropriate is also totally unbiblical. Think about this verse, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”[4] I don’t have any idea what you girls talk about when you think your parents aren’t listening or when you are surrounded by people who pressure you to talk and think about bad things, but does what you say benefit the people that are listening to you? Does talking about boys and sex encourage your friends towards godliness? Somehow, even though I don’t know you I have a very strong feeling it doesn’t. I understand that it is easy to get pulled in to a crude conversation so what are your alternatives? This is something that I really struggle with because I am on a secular college campus almost every day and sometimes it truly is impossible to get away from all the filthy talk that goes on. So let me give you some suggestions about what to do when you are with your friends or even a room full of strangers. First, try to change the topic of conversation by either saying, “You know, talking about this really makes me uncomfortable. Could we talk about something different?” Or even something a little more casual like, “Come on guys you know we shouldn’t be talking about this stuff.” However, if all else fails you always have the ability to leave the group, the room, or the situation. None of these things that I mentioned are easy. In fact most of what I suggested would by God’s standards be considered suffering for righteousness sake. Words and actions like these might even cause you to lose some friends but it is worth it. If your friends leave you because you stand up for what is right then that is a sure sign that they were not very good friends to start with. On top of all that, God promises to bless those who stand for righteousness! What more could you ask for? If God is on your side who can be against you?

So why is all these stuff important? Let’s read Colossians 3: 8-9… “You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now (Christian) you must rid yourself of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken your old self with it’s practices.” I believe that when Paul wrote this he was also thinking about what he wrote to the Corinthians in his second letter to them earlier on. In 2 Corinthians 5: 17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” In other words we are to stop gossiping, stop talking about dirty things, and start speaking truth because God has pulled us out of the sinking sand of our past lives and put us on the Solid Rock of Jesus’ blood and sacrifice for us so that we could be pure and blameless before a pure and blameless God. That is an act that is beyond what we can comprehend. The infinitely pure, transcendently majestic God of this whole world chose you from the foundations of the earth to make you clean and holy and to spend eternity with him in Heaven!

Wow! How many more reasons do we need to speak in a wholesome manner? Girls I don’t know if you struggle with this sin in your life or not, but I hope that reading this will give you the courage you need to stand up for God and His word or to encourage someone who needs that courage.

                                                                                                                       

James 1:26

---

[1] Relationships- A Mess Worth Making. Tim Lane, Paul Tripp. 2006. New Growth Press. Greensboro 27429.

[2] http://www.dohnavurfellowship.org/

[3] Look up reference

[4] Ephesians 4: 29

Purity And the Gospel- For Girls From a Girl

This is a pretty long post but I hope this will be an encouragement and challenge to all you ladies out there who are seeking to live pure godly lives in this wicked and perverse generation.

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

1Corinthans 6: 18-20

               

                Ella lay on her bed sobbing, begging God to restore her broken heart. Yet again she had laid her heart bare for a boy whom she thought could fulfill all her dreams; a boy whom she had depended on to bring wholeness to her life and always be there for her. At the age of sixteen she thought she had found the man of her dreams. He said he loved her, he said he would wait for her forever if that’s what it took.  He made her feel special and valued; he told her she was beautiful. He said he would do anything for her.

                What happened? How did such an apparently beautiful relationship turn out so horrible? How did something so special turn into something so entirely sinful? Not only did Ella give away her purity for a guy who cared no more for her than an old tennis shoe, but she was left with the guilt, regret, and hopelessness that she was ruined for life. How could anyone love her? How could she ever love or trust anyone again? How had she lost her focus on God and gotten so caught up in her relationship?

                Maybe you have felt this way before, maybe you have seen a friend go through a similar situation, maybe you have no clue what I am talking about. Praise God for that! However, what I want everyone to get out of this chapter, no matter where you are from or what you have done, is to understand how important it is to live every area of our lives in a way that reflects the gospel. This might sound boring or impractical to you but just give me a chance to explain what I mean.

                Let’s start by talking about what the gospel really means and why it is important to have a true understanding of how it can affect our lives. The gospel is a very simple but life-changing message. Ephesians 1: 4-8 is a perfect outlining of the gospel throughout history and how we are to respond to it in our lives.

“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will- to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given to us in the One[His Son] He loves. In Him we have redemption of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

                Just to break this down, what Paul is saying here is that your life was not an accident, what happens to you is not luck. From the very beginning of the world, God knew exactly who you were and what he had planned for you. You were not a surprise to God you are a miracle of His grace! God knew that you were going to mess up, yet He still chose you. He picked you in spite of your rebellious nature towards Him, through the cloud and stench of your sin God pulled you out and drew you towards Himself and a life over flowing with grace, unconditional love, and purity. Not only did God do all these things, but because God is a just God He couldn’t just ignore your sin. There had to be justice. This is the gospel…God substituted your sin, your guilt for the perfect purity and holiness of His Son. In other words, when you deserved to be punished, God took your punishment and laid it all on the back of His dear Son. Then He turned on Him all the wrath that you and I deserved. All the fury of His righteous anger was directed to the perfect soul and body of Jesus Christ. Praise God! We owe Him our everything! We can now call ourselves Daughters of God who have the undeserved privilege of sharing in the inheritance of Christ in Heaven forever one day!

                So how does this influence purity in our lives? It is the essence of purity in our lives! Many books have been written on the subject of purity. Several of which have greatly influenced my life including “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”, by Joshua Harris; “Passion and Purity” by Elizabeth Elliot; “And the Bride Wore White” by Dannah Gresh; and “When God Writes Your Love Story” by Eric and Leslie Ludy. All these books are excellent and I would recommend them to all of you to read if you are looking for a good book on purity. However, this chapter isn’t so much focused on how to be pure but rather why to be pure. What is the purpose of purity? You might have heard that you should be pure because you have people looking up to you, or so that you can be a virgin when you get married. These are great and godly reasons to pursue purity but in my opinion it is not the main reason to pursue purity. The main reason to live purely is stated in the verse at the beginning of this chapter- “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” This verse merges the subject of purity and the beauty of the gospel in two short sentences. Throughout this chapter we will look at this verse and its significance on our lives.

                We’ve talked about the gospel and I hope it has been explained in a way that is easy to understand; so in light of that let’s discuss the reason for purity. Purity is defined in the Webster’s Illustrated Dictionary as “the quality of being free of blemishes”. Honestly, purity doesn’t just refer to sexual purity but for this chapter at least that will be our main focus. Sexual purity is a matter of being free of blemishes physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This is so much easier said than done but by the grace of God it is absolutely possible for us to achieve. Of course all of us are blemished and spotted in some way because of sin. But when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior then we are covered by the purity of His life.  This does not mean that we can just live however we want and say, “It doesn’t matter what I do, Jesus will always love me. Once I’ve been saved, I’ll always be saved no matter what I do.” In a sense this is true but the Bible also says, If you love me, you will keep my commandments” and “you will know them (Christians) by their fruit”. Life is a constant fight for purity in every area of our lives. Especially in our society today sex out of marriage is accepted every day, but that does not mean that it is acceptable in God’s economy. We are to be pure so that we bring glory to God. God is honored by a life of purity and honoring and glorifying God should be the main goal of our lives. When we can come to the understanding that life is not about us, it is not about our feelings, it is not even about our personal happiness, it is about giving God the glory in every area of our lives including purity. Perhaps you just read that sentence and are a little offended that you are not the center of the universe; well all I can say is wake up and smell the coffee! Never in the Word of God are the thoughts and feelings of man above God’s. Throughout scripture God is the center. He is the Holy of Holies, the Lord of Lord, and the King of Kings. This is how the gospel and sexual purity connect. When we can trust God with the area of our lives regarding sexual purity that is when God can be most glorified and that is when we will receive the most blessing in our lives. Girls, God is the greatest romantic. Yes, because He is the creator of the universe He does require all our attention, honor, and love; but God loves us too. He loves us unconditionally. His plans for us are far beyond what we can think or imagine. But we have to give Him our lives. God cannot work in a life that is against Him. I would venture to say that even as Christians there can be areas of our lives that we haven’t given to God, especially the area of sexual purity.

                Many of the Old Testament prophets bring up the romantic love of God’s to His people in a beautiful way. So let’s take a quick look at the love of God for His people.

1.       Zephaniah 3: 17, “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

2.       Psalm 86: 13, “For Thy lovingkindness to me is great, and Thou hast delivered my soul from Hell…But, Thou O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.

3.       Song of Solomon 2: 16, “My Beloved is mine and I am His.”

4.       Jeremiah 29: 11, “For I know the plans that I have for you says the Lord, plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

                Each of these verses describes a different way that God loves His people. He loves us by protecting us, by taking great delight in us and comforting us in His love. He loves us by forgiving us and being slow to anger when we mess up. He loves us by cherishing us above any other. He also loves us by providing for us and planning our future so that we will never have a lack of anything. Looking at all these things; isn’t that the way we want to be loved by men? Don’t we seek protection, compliments, love, security, and provision in our relationships? God has said right here in His Word that He wants to give us all these things, so trust Him. Give your heart to Him and let Him work out the details.

                In light of that, how do we flee from sexual immorality and run into the arms of Christ? Let’s break it down. The word flee here is an active verb. We can’t just live our lives hoping that God will not allow sexual temptation to come to us, we have to have our armor on and our shield up, ready for the Devil’s attacks. There is no question in my mind that we will be faced with sexual temptations some time in our lives. Some people may have more of a problem with it than others but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t all be adequately prepared.

                As I said before, I want this to be more of a “why” chapter on purity rather than a “how to” chapter on purity but I think there does need to be some of the “how to” in here to help direct us in what to do after we understand why we should live purely. Here are several verses that describe to us how to live a life that is seeking after purity for God’s glory and our sanctification. Some of these things may seem difficult or even impossible, but with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us, all things are possible.

1.       “Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”- 2 Corinthians 10: 5. Our actions proceed from our thoughts. The reason it is so important that we take every thought captive is because we tend to act the way we think. Like Jesus says when He is talking about how you will know whether or not someone is a Christian, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” If we think impure thoughts or even just silly thoughts like, “I think he likes me!” Or, “Maybe if I wear this shirt, even though it’s a little low, and this skirt, even though it’s a little short, he will look at me longer and give me some extra attention.” These thoughts are not godly or honoring to the young man you are thinking about. It is very important that we examine the way we think and bring it under the subjection of Christ’s law.

2.       “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discretely” – 1 Timothy 2: 9. Be modest ladies! Yes wearing revealing clothing will get you more attention, but not the kind of attention that you want. One day walking down the sidewalk at school, I overheard a young man talking about a young woman who was walking by, because of the clothes she was wearing he said, right in the middle of a conversation, “Whoa, I just totally got distracted”, as he stared right at the girls exposed body. Is that the way you want guys to think and talk about you? I am not going to tell you what is appropriate to wear; I will leave that up to the discretion of you and your parents. However, think about this when you get dressed in the morning… when you look in the mirror when you are dressed, what do you think about your outfit? If thoughts like these come to your mind that is a sign that you are not dressing modestly, “Wow! These shorts make my legs look hot!” “I hope So-and-so notices that my shirt is a little more revealing than normal. Maybe he’ll talk to me now.” Dressing to get attention is totally unbiblical. Our culture tells us that we get what we want be selling our bodies, however the Bible tells us that we will be more happy if we let it be the inner beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit that shines through to accentuate our external beauty.

3.       “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God.”- Philippians 4: 6. Bring everything to God in prayer. I cannot express the importance of prayer too much. God loves you and cares for all your needs. If you are not sure about a relationship or feel like you are not following God’s path for you, take your concerns to Him. He promises that if you seek Him with all your heart He will answer you. One of the most important areas of purity is constantly making sure that Christ is the center of your life. If He is the number one priority in your life then everything else will fall into place. If you are working on and pursuing a deep relationship with Christ then He will speak into your life. He will direct your path and show you what His will is for you. Just think, God already has Mr. Right picked out for you. So why should you be worried about finding “the right one”? God truly is in control of all situations even the ones that you feel like are impossible. There are men in this world who daily seek to honor God and if God wills that you marry one day, then he will give you the man who is your perfect match. To me that is so exciting and relieving!

                We must seek God with all our hearts so that He can be glorified! We are not our own, we must live in a manner that reflects the image of the one who saved us. When we do that there is no telling the way that God will be able to use us. We know He loves us unconditionally and that He already has every area of our lives planned out, including our love life. Trust Him with everything you have!

                “The world has yet to see what God can do through one person wholly committed to Him”. D. L. Moody

How Big Is Your God?

He [the LORD] determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names. Great is our LORD and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure. The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God with the lyre. He covers the heavens with clouds; He prepares rain for the earth; He makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beast their food, and to the young ravens that cry…the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love. Psalm 147: 4-11

When a problem comes up in your life or you get in a disagreement with a sibling or friend what is the first thing you do? Do you worry? Get depressed? Do you have your own personal pity party and only invite yourself?

            Where does God come into the picture? In Proverbs 3: 5-6 the writer said, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

            The way we handle difficult situations is a test of how big we think our God is and how much we trust Him. Our opinion of God doesn’t change who He is but our opinion of God does change the way we live day to day. God is small in our lives if we don’t immediately turn to Him when difficulty comes along. When we turn to ourselves, friends, and family, or even negative things like drug abuse or self mutilation we are saying in our hearts, “God I don’t trust You! You are not big enough to take care of my problems. You are not totally Sovereign, just a little bit Sovereign. I really need to help you out.”

            Let’s think about this kind of heart attitude for a little bit. This attitude is almost a form of idolatry. It is putting our thoughts and feelings before God’s Word. We can even take it to the extreme of unconsciously making ourselves the God of our own lives. Now that is idolatry! When our opinion of who God is, our opinion of ourselves, and the opinion of others are more important than God’s opinion of Himself and of us, then we have an idol in our hearts.

            In the book When People are Big and God is Small, author Edward Welch says this, “If our culture[ you and I] is misguided in it’s understanding of God, then it will be misguided in it’s understanding of people who are made in His image.” What this means is that if we have a wrong view of God, say thinking that He is incapable of taking care of us or that He doesn’t know all things, then our view of our fellow human beings will be warped as well. Some ways of viewing the people around us in a wrong way can include several different situations. If what our friends think about what we wear or how we talk changes the way we live, especially if it against what the Bible says, than we are respecting the opinion of our friends above God’s command to honor Him. If we are tempted to speed when we are driving because people say it’s fun or cool then we are disobeying the government authority that God has placed us under. There are many, many ways that we can devalue the opinion of God’s and these examples are just a couple to get you thinking.

            Our view of God and our trust in God go hand in hand. When we think of God as being on level ground with us (something none of us would say out loud, but we can act like is true) we think we can change Him or that other people are stronger than He is. So in other words we are not trusting in the supremacy of God or the unfathomable faithfulness of God because we can’t understand it. It should never be our aim in life to try to explain God’s motives and if we can’t understand His purposes to bring Him down to our level. Do you want to serve and worship a God who is just like you? God forbid! In order to fully trust God and live in a way that reflects that, you and I need to bow before the throne of God and submit to His will even when we cannot understand it. We must believe that all things are for His glory and for the good of every believer in Jesus Christ.

            I cannot express enough how super important it is that God be the center of our lives. That is such an easy thing to say and I know many of you already know that this is true but this knowledge can’t just be in your head, it has to be in your heart as well. Submitting to the Lordship of Christ is a day to day, moment by moment decision. It’s not a one-time prayer that we can pray, or something we do when we are at church. God is our maker and creator. Not only does He deserve to inhabit our hearts, but He knows all things; even our innermost, secret needs even better than we do! What better could we ask for than that the God of the universe, the God who took the time and creativity to make each of us, direct the path of our lives?

            So the next time you are tempted to make an idol of the opinions of others or cave in to peer pressure, remember to whom you belong. Remember that God’s will above all others is the one that matters the most. His will is the one that will last throughout eternity.

            Whenever you are confused or unsure about what to do or how to react, seek God’s will first. God says in His word, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD…” These verses were written to the Jews when they were in exile in Babylon. They were in a very difficult place. God had sent them to a foreign land as a punishment for their disobedience; but even in God’s justice, He provided a way of forgiveness and reconciliation with Himself. This is an example to show you that God will never give up on you. God will never leave you out to dry because of something you have done. Even now God has called us to be reconciled to Him, to exchange our sinfulness for His perfection, and become daughters of God! Please don’t refuse the call of God in your life to turn from sinful darkness, to Him but instead entrust your heart, thoughts, opinions, and views to His sovereign plan.

             The vastness of God is infinite, too big for us to imagine, and that should affect the way we live. If you feel like you have been treating God like a little God instead of giving Him your whole life, then take time right now to repent and ask God to forgive you. Ask Him to teach you what it means to draw closer to Him and seek His will in every area of your life. In the book of Job, Job realized that He had a small view of God. After everything that happened to Job- his cattle were stolen, his children were killed, his health was ruined, and his friends turned against him- God spoke to Job and gave a vivid description of who He is and how small and insignificant Job was in the fullness of God’s plan. Read Job chapter 38 and think about the awesomeness of God. Look here at Job’s response to God after He really understood how big God was.

Job speaking here, “ [God] Said, ‘Listen now and I will speak; I will question you and you shall answer me’. [Job]My ears have heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” What Job is saying is that, before all these disastrous things happened, he knew God was there and he was in control, yet he didn’t really have a heart level understanding of it. But after God showed him how sovereign he is, then he fully understood what a sin it is to underestimate God’s power and emphasize our importance in our own eyes and the eyes of others.

             Let us daily examine our own lives. Let us ask God to show us the flaws we have; repent and seek His forgiveness and will for our lives day by day.

The Purpose of this blog

For years I have seen a deficiency in young woman today that saddens and terrifies me. It saddens me because I see girls today just living for the moment and not setting their lives in the solid rock of Christ and it terrifies me because it is these same girls that will one day be the leading influence of our country!
The deficiency that I am talking about is living a holy life. A life set apart for the King of Kings. 1 Peter 2: 9 says, You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God SO THAT you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
We were not created to seek our own goals and purposes but as the Shorter Catechism states, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever."
So here is the purpose statement of this blog: To help, challenge, admonish, and encourage young woman of all ages to seek God's glory first by living a life that is holy and set apart for him alone.