Taking Thoughts Captive

How many times do we allow negative things to control our thoughts and then influence our actions? just the other day, Lindsey decided she wanted to play with playdoh, blow bubbles, water the garden and paint. All at the same time. Now to you that might seem trivial but to me I was overwhelmed by her surge of energy and found myself feeling grumpy. On other days it may be she acts out and does not listen that will send me into the land of scowls and sighs. Granted sometimes feelings of frustration are warranted when she doesn't listen even though I have asked what feels like a million times. Yet is it really worth it to allow those feelings to hold me hostage all day? No it isn't. It wastes a day of playing and enjoying life and replaces it with a short temper and looking forward to the next day.

I have recently been reading Max Lucado's Just Like Jesus and something he wrote really stayed with me. In one of the chapter he said, "This is not your house. You do not have the right to let in everyone who wants to enter. Anger, pride, revenge, pity, lust, etc." Proverbs 4:23 tells us "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

When we allow those thoughts to creep into our mind we fall into temptation. Our bodies, including our minds, belong to Jesus. He bought them with a price, his blood. We are to take those thoughts captive and release them back out after we have prayed through them. I am well aware that it sounds easier than it is but it can be done. Jesus gives us ample instruction on how to capture all thoughts and submit them back to Christ. If we ask, he will let us know if it is worth staying in our mind or if we need to get rid of it. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (NIV, emphasis mine). 

Even Jesus himself knew the temptation of letting certain thoughts enter the mind. When he predicted his death to his disciples in Matthew 16, Peter told him that could never happen. He did not think the death of Christ was necessary. Jesus on the other hand told him, "Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men" (Matt 16:23 NIV).  Christ knew at that moment Satan was trying to infiltrate his thoughts. Then for forty days he was tempted by the devil. We are only given a few examples but scripture says he was tempted for forty days. However, he was armed with scripture and able to not fall into temptation, just as we must be (Matt 4). 

Now back to that day I was grouchy for really no apparent reason. What did I do? I could have stayed in a bad mood all day, but really who wants to do that? I prayed earnestly. I prayed for the Lord to fill my heart with peace and the Spirit to remove the feelings placed there by the enemy. And wouldn't you know, I felt better! I cannot express this enough, there is POWER in PRAYER. I believe that as much as I believe there is air that I breathe. The Lord wants us to come to Him with anything and everything. He promises to listen to us and to never leave us. What an amazing promise that is. 

I pray for you dear friend. That in times of struggle with your thoughts and emotions, you turn to God. You let him filter your mind and fill your heart with the fruits of the Spirit, not the poison of the enemy. We have to constantly be mindful of what we think, for what we think becomes actions. Our Lord conquered all the same thoughts we feel at times. We can rest assured our holy redeemer is mighty to save, always.

Happy Easter 2014

This easter season has been one for the memory books. We had an amazing time celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. North Carolina has proved to be making wonderful memories for our family! There were many firsts for my little one this year from her first egg hunt, to her first time dying eggs. It has been an amazing time of year.

She hated her hands getting dirty :)

Showing impressive motor skills with the little spoon

Easter baskets from great-grandma, grammy & pappy, and mommy

Egg hunt at church

I loved her dress this year. Im trying to think of any other day she can wear it!

My heart and soul

The REAL reason we celebrate this glorious holiday. He is risen indeed! How amazing is it to know that our God conquered death and the devil. He sacrificed his only Son that we may no longer be enslaved by our own sin and selfishness. By His wounds we are healed and can now spend eternity with Him. Amazing grace <3

The Enemy Will Not Win

This past week has been such a roller coaster. Lindsey had the flu, spring break was over and that meant a pile of homework and I was preparing to give my testimony at Celebrate Recovery. I was so stressed out and exhausted. My step dad made an interesting observation of how it wasn't a coincidence all that was happening at the same time. The devil was at work. He wanted to distract me from my testimony and delivering it at church. He wanted to exhaust me and detour me from praising God in my words. 

However, the enemy did not win. 

On Thursday I got up on stage and spoke for almost 20 minutes about my past, present, future and how they are all to the glory of God. I have wrote about my difficult relationship with Lindsey's dad and touched on that during my talk but I also let the people there into a part of my past that I hid so deeply my family didn't even know about until a few weeks ago. Im not completely ready to go into detail here with that information but I know it touched many people in that audience. 

My mom told me that as I spoke the words blanketed the crowd. There were tears, laughs, and many amens. I think the best compliment I received that night was that you could see Christ through me. I can't even explain how my heart felt after hearing that. God has done so much in my life that if I can offer a glimpse of His grace, I consider my life well lived.

 Many amazing moments came out of that night. A girl came up to me after I spoke and she told me earlier that day she had decided she didn't want to go to heaven and even questioned her faith in Christ because of what happened to her when she was younger. I spoke with her for a while and prayed with her, lifting her up to the one who heals all hurt. Later that evening she came up to me and told me that because of my testimony and our talk she was reconsidering her recent feelings of heaven and her faith in Christ. 

God is so amazing. 

I remember praying for days leading up to the talk that if I could touch one person, and if one person's faith in Christ was strengthened because of my testimony I would be happy. I prayed that my words would be God's words and that it would only bring Him glory. Not me. I do not deserve any of it. I may have gotten up on that stage but it was God who gave me the words. God who gave me the strength. It was Him who brought me through those storms. He has done so many amazing things in my life and I know this is only the beginning. 

The director of Solus Christus, a christian center for woman, wants me to come out to their center and talk to the girls there. I told her I would be beyond happy to do that. My life has not been easy but God's grace and strength has brought me through every storm and to be able to share that with others would be my dream. For now Ill keep praying. God has big things in store for me.

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 ESV

Heavenly Father I ask you to guide me to bring you glory in any way you will. Take my story and make it all to praise you. You are the author and perfecter of our faith. I praise you for all you have done in my life and all you will do. 

I ask this all in your sons name,

Amen

Unspeakable Joy

This past Saturday i attended a conference held at my church. It was organized by Encouragement Cafe and JOY Fm. This is the second year Unspeakable Joy has been held at my church and I am so glad I was able to attend this year. It truly was refreshment for my thirsty soul. There were women speakers and Sisters performed. I had never heard of them but oh man those girls have some serious talent! 

The verse for this year was "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy"

1 Peter 1:8

There were a few key points that really spoke to me during the conference and I would like to share them:

Carol Davis spoke on how often we trade God's promises for a plastic substitute. I do not know about you but this was like a smack in my face. I have really been focusing and praying to keep hold to God's word and not compromise any of his promises for me. 

She also pointed out that following God is harder and can be more confusing than if we were to just do it ourselves. Let me tell you from first hand experience: doing it on your own may seem easier and make more sense but its not worth it! God has a better plan for your life than we could EVER imagine. This is one truth I cling to with all my heart. I know following God is not always an easy or understandable task but Christ says "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 11:29-30

Carol also touched on how easy it is for us to hold onto the things we are not proud of. She asked the question, Why do we remember what God has already forgotten? Isn't that such a profound question? So many of us think God could never use us or love us because of what we did in our past. However, God sent his only Son to die on the cross for those mistakes in the past so our slates would be washed clean!! That gives me so much comfort y'all because my closet has some serious skeletons. But if i were to focus on them instead of lifting them up to the father I would harbor serious guilt and feelings of being ashamed. Not how I want to live and how great is it we don't have to! "Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good." Psalm 25:7

Our name snow redeemed through Christ our Savior. That fact alone makes me want to shout from the rooftop the amazing grace of our God. Its our job to reach out to others and share that amazing grace.  

Nia Davenport spoke of giving our tithes to Christ and her words sat so heavy on my heart. It has always been so hard for me to give to the church or those in need. At least monetarily. I will volunteer  in a second or give someone a hand but give my hard earned money away? No thank you! Nia really opened my eyes to how obeying God in our finances pleases Him and he always rewards those who are faithful to Him.  She broke it down into 3 steps:

1. Knowing God- having intimate knowledge of just who He is 

-He is good Psalm 34

-He is love 1 John 4

-He is generous Psalm 145

2. Obeying God- willing to follow His directions

- Giving our first portion to Him consistently Malachi 3:10

3. Trusting God- we need to release our protective grip on money, for he always provides

 -Giving generously Luke 6:28

The last few things I took from this seminar was how we are a new creation in Christ. Without Jesus there are just bandaids to cover our wounds, but we need heart surgery. He takes what is old and uses them for His purpose in a new way. We are called to bring what God has given to us. I have really been praying about this last point. Ive been struggling to find what God has called me to do to serve Him. My heart yearns to serve Him Im just not sure where he wants me yet. I know I must be patient,  He will call on me when He knows its right. 

It was an awesome, Christ-filled weekend. I am so thankful I was able to spend it with God loving women just loving God all day long! 

The Truth

I have been wondering why it has been so hard for me to blog lately. Well actually all of 2013 I really struggled with sitting down and doing it. Yes I was busy but I know I had time. There had to be more to it. The other day as I was compiling my Christmas post it dawned on me. I hesitate to blog because I assume my life is inadequate for people to want to see.

I dont have a fancy camera.

I live with my parents and am raising my daughter on my own.

I am still waiting on the happily ever after.

I dont have the faith maturity to give sound advice.

I am still working to earn my degree after being in college since I was 17. Im 23 now.

I am not as creative as other people are.

I dont cook nearly as often as I used to.

My writing is not as eloquent or witty as other blogs I read.

This list could go on and on. I have been so caught up in what I don't have that I have forgotten what I do have. I found it hard to blog because I was constantly comparing myself to other bloggers who seemed to have more in life. I always ended up wanting more in my own life. Yet while I was editing my Christmas post I felt a huge sense of gratitude and gratefulness that my heart has been lacking. 2013 was a really hard year emotionally for me. My life was not in the place I wanted it to be or thought it should have been. I faced many hard days and struggled with my spiritual thirst. All of those material things I listed do not define me as a person. The only thing that can keep my content is my spiritual faith and relationship with God.

My pastor did a sermon a few months ago on spiritual thirst. The story of the samaritan woman in John 4 is one I can identify with. The woman has been fulfilling her needs with husbands to define and quench her spiritual thirst. Jesus tells the woman "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" John 4:13-14. After speaking more with Jesus, John writes that the Samaritan woman left her water jug to tell the people in the town of her encounter with the Christ (John 4:28). To me, her leaving the jug symbolized her leaving all of her shame and guilt from the past with it.

There have been times I have tried to quench my thirst with earthly things. However, when they are gone I am thirsty yet again. It isnt until I ask for God to fill me with his spirit, does my soul feel full. It is a daily process of spending time with God and in his presence that I feel close to him and my need for fulfillment by the earths standards is diminished.

So no I do not have all those things I listed above. But I have much more in my heart of hearts. What I have cannot be measured by others or society's measure of wealth. I have a relationship with my Lord and Savior and that to me is so much more. I now look at my life with an extreme amount of blessing and gratitude. The Lord has blessed me with far more than I deserve and I thank him everyday for that. I think it will be easier for me to be more honest and open with my life on here now that I am aware of my problem. I look back at my posts in 2012 and a lot of them were forced by someone who was trying to portray her life as happily ever after. It couldn't have been further from the truth. So now that is my sob story. But its the truth and what is life is you don't tell the truth?

Lead Your Lambs

My mother, the wise Christian woman I learn from, posted this on facebook the other day:

Yesterday I heard about how Jesus compares us to sheep. Not lions or rhinos or something cool. Sheep. They are a dumb animal and listen to the voice of their master to keep them safe. Those that wander off can't hear the voice of their master and are led astray and lead their little lambs down with them. Lead your little lambs to God and set a good example for them. Take them to church and teach them to listen to the loving voice of their master so that one day you will be together in heaven. The only thing you can take to heaven are your children. This poem says it all. 

‘Twas a sheep not a lamb that went astray

In the parable Jesus told.

‘Twas a grown sheep that wandered away

From the ninety and nine in the fold.

And out on the hilltop, and out in the cold,

‘Twas a sheep the Good Shepherd sought.

Back to the fold and back to the flock,

‘Twas a sheep that the Good Shepherd brought.

Now, why should the sheep be so carefully fed

And cared for even to-day?

Because there is danger if they go wrong,

They will lead the lambs astray.

The lambs will follow the sheep, you know,

Where’er they wander–where’er they go.

If the sheep goes wrong, it will not be long

Till the lambs are as wrong as they.

So still with the sheep we must earnestly plead,

For the sake of the lambs to-day.

If the lambs are lost, what a terrible cost

The sheep will have to pay!

-C.C. Miller

Our Children are the only things we can take with us to Heaven. That right there says it all. It is my duty as her mother to give her the foundation of a relationship with God. To know the merciful Father in Heaven that she can always turn to and cast her cares on. And if she decides later in life that she wants to venture away from her faith, that will be her decision. But I will know I instilled what I could in her.

 

If I didnt, what kind of sheep would I be? I would let my little lamby wander this Earth with only earthly things to turn to. That is not the kind of life I want my daughter to know. This world is cold, cruel, and harsh because of the sin that has infiltrated our homes and lives. But when you know God, that cold cruel world has hope. Faith that one day this earth will be gone and we will journey to our heavenly home full of joy and wonder. Faith that through the Lord we can accomplish anything. Faith that through the Lord we do not have to struggle alone, we can cast all our cares on him. Doesnt that sound like a much better life? I know it has been for me since I gave my life to God.

 "How do you even know there is a heaven?" Well I know because my faith and the bible tells me so. And if there isnt, then I will lay in the ground for the rest of eternity and wont know the difference. But if there is, I would rather have my faith and know I will join my Father in heaven, and my parents, and hopefully Lindsey someday, rather than take the chance of going the other way. 

We were told this the other day in bible study: "Theres a price to pay if we would gain spiritual wisdom, but there's an even greater price to pay if we dont gain it."

Guide your lambs. Take them to church. Read to them their bible. Make sure they know the rainbow is Gods way of telling us he will never send another flood (Gen 9:13-17 NIV) Make sure they know that the Lord has a plan for them. Plans for a future and plans for hope (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

And above all make sure they know "For God so loved the world that her gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NIV)

Faith

"Man does, indeed need a radical change of heart; he needs to begin to hate his sin instead of loving it, and to love God instead of hating him; he needs , in a word, to be reconciled with God. And the place above all others, where this change takes place is at the foot of the cross, when he apprehends something of the hatred of God for sin and his indescribable love for the sinner." by JND Anderson

Faith

Faith

Amen

Begin Each Day With A Grateful Heart

Let's face it. Life isn't aways easy. Sometimes you have moments just asking yourself seriously when will I catch a break? It's in those times that having faith in God is so important. How amazing is it that we have someone who will take that stress off our shoulders and give us peace. I would say pretty amazing.

Right now we are struggling financially with all the house repairs that have to get accomplished before we can move in. You have seen those tv shows where they are renovating a house and run into a million problems they didn't see before right? Well thats where we are. So much has popped up and literally drained our savings.

But yet, I have hope. No, not hope. Faith. Faith that the Lord will keep providing for us as I have seen all my life. He will never give us more than we need but enough to get us by.

Have you ever just prayed to God thanking him for everything you do have instead of what you dont? I am not the model christian in that but i definitely try to begin each day for a grateful heart.

Here are a few things I am thankful for today:

1. The health of my beautiful baby girl

2. The fact that we have enough money to pay our bills and still have food in the fridge.

3. My amazing relationship with my parents. They are always there when I need them and only hope I can be as great of a mother to Lindsey as my mom is to me. 

4. The work of the holy spirit working in me to give me all the strength I need in difficult times.

Its time to start focusing on what we do have rather than what we don't.

Sunday Verse

"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 hand." Isaiah 41:10

This verse is a great comfort for us sinners. The Lord is stating how we are not alone and that he is here for us, constantly. On the days where baby L has be at my wits end I need to remember this verse. Take a second and just read it and ponder it. How wonderful that we have a God who will always build us up! His love is so incredible and the words of this verse are very powerful. We have a creator in Heaven who will always be there for us. On the days where the world is overwhelming and nothing seems to be going according to our "plan" always remember the Lord is there. Take a minute and pray. Because the power of prayer will always help you through.