Worldy to Godly.

     Live, Laugh, Love. Follow your heart. Only your heart can tell. Trust your instinct. If someone's on your mind then maybe they are supposed to be. 

     I mean, come on, you know you've heard these tidbits of advice from some people that mean a lot to you. Am I right? What are some other ones that people use often? That have some truth in them- but have a lot of truth that is missing. This morning I read John Paul Jackson's update and this is what he said:

"You cannot depend on your eyes when your spirit is out of focus."

     This is so true. It's the same thing with your heart. You can't depend on your heart if it's not "solely" His. You can't trust your instinct if your instinct is messed up by the world. You can't trust your mind if it is bombarded by evil/demonic/worldly thoughts. Can I get an amen?

     

     But so often in this world we are bombarded by this advice. Especially in my generation. Go where the wind takes you. Move with the flow. Follow peace. You know, all of that good stuff that makes me think of people dancing in an open field to the sound of the wind. Ya know? 

     Follow your heart. I so struggle with this. It is so easy to follow your heart. But my heart can be off sometimes. I mean if I followed my heart I'd be eating brownies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But just because my heart says it's okay doesn't mean it's good for me. Right? Beth Moore was the first one that really introduced this truth into my life. Our hearts have to be wholly and holy His. It has to be a heart that is completely surrendered to His will for our lives. Personal story? My dream and desire in life is to be a wife and a mother. And if I am honest- within 5 minutes of meeting a handsome young man that loves the Lord I have the two of us married, old, and gray watching our grandkids play soccer. (Please still be my friend, and don't get freaked out- lovely men in my life.) But I constantly have to take those thoughts captive and turn it to, "Lord, you have the perfect match for me. And only You can bring him to me at the right time. So I trust you..." and then I always add, "and give the poor guy some courage to marry me." :)

     Funny huh? Well, that is the realistic Brennen Gaddis. I will admit it. If you hang around me too long you will know that I have parts of my wedding already planned. (You're right, I don't even have a boyfriend.) There is nothing wrong with being prepared! :) 

     The thing is- I can't always trust my heart. My heart can lead me to some places that I am not supposed to be. I have to really search out what the Lord is telling me. I have to be sensitive to the things the Lord is showing me and see how it relates to scripture and obey what He says. So what am I trying to say?

     Get your spirit in focus. Get right with God. Quit wasting time, following your worldly heart and get it where it's supposed to be.  Look at what Philippians 4:8-9 says;

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

     It's the same thing I said a few posts ago about our desires.

Psalm 37:4 says Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

     What we sometimes forget is that- whenever we are truly delighting ourselves in the Lord, His desires actually become our desires. Just like with my crazy desire to be a wife. Yes, I want to be a wife, and I believe that it is a God-given desire, but it has now changed to "I want to be a wife when YOU want it and with who you want me to be married to." It's a daily decision I have to make to trust that the Lord will provide. 

     Obey the scriptures. Trust what the Lord says. He will bring it to completion. Just like I believe 100% that the Lord is giving my future husband courage right now. (In Jesus Name!) And just like I believe that the Lord will guide me into the next steps in my life- weather it's as a student, missionary, servant, or wife. Whatever it is, I have faith that the Lord will lead me to it. 

     Feel free to go where the wind takes you. If it's the Holy Spirit's wind. Go ahead, and trust your heart. If it's a heart that is wholly the Lord's. And- Live. Laugh. and Love. It'll make your life more enjoyable. Just take those tidbits- and add some Jesus to it. :) Change it from worldly to Godly. 

-B

Old Shoes. Firm Foundation.

     Okay, I am a little ashamed of myself. One, for actually posting a blog about this. Two, for it being a blog. And three, because I should be ashamed. This morning I got ready for work and needed a pair of flats. Why flats? Because not all 10 toesies are painted in the fabulous "flip flop fantasy" color that I adore. As you can tell by the picture below- I'm wearing a gray shirt. Cute shirt, huh? Props to my Aunt J.C.- fabulous gift giver. I have a few pairs of black flats- two of them have gold- so those were not an option, and the other ones hurt my feet. So out with those. (Comfort is more important than looks. Just saying.) I found some flats from when I was 15. That is 5 years ago! This is when I get ashamed. Because, I almost didn't wear them because they were 5 years old. And how could they be in style? Even though I thought they looked cute. (I'm sure I've lost some of my guy readers by now.)

     Even though they were 5 years old, I wore them. Proudly. Of course after I gave myself a pep talk that some things are still cute 5 years later. I wore them around the house, went to Hucks to get some water, and they held up for the few blocks I had to walk to get to work. And then, when I have 5 customers in the shop- what happens? The bottoms get loose. Check out the photo:

     How pitiful! My poor shoes- falling apart! One shoe has half of the sole off. The other is just plain flimsy. I can't count on it staying on there for much longer. The point of me writing about the soles of my shoe is more than just getting some sympathy and possibly a free pair of shoes to match my grey and silver clothes. (Size 7.5) ;) This totally relates to our walk with the Lord. 

     We have to have strong soles. Not souls. But soles. A firm foundation, so to speak. We have to have a strong foundation in what we believe. Check out what the Bible says:

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:11

     Our Savior must be our foundation. All other foundations will fall, tear, rip apart, loose their glue, crumble or be crushed. Christ Jesus is the only One who can withstand everything. The lyrics to this song sum it up much better than I could. Take some time. Check it out. Let the words speak to you like they speak to me. 

God and me.

     Last night I went to sleep so excited. Why? Because I had absolutely nothing to do today. It's just a good feeling. To know that you can do whatever you want. I was daydreaming/imagining a perfect morning. Cup of coffee, bible, journal, perfect sitting situation, and complete focus. That's how your quiet time is supposed to be right? So I went to sleep and dreamt of Abercrombie jeans? What? I know, I don't think my right leg would fit in those. ;) And woke up around 7. Mad. Why was I awake at 7? "Go back to sleep Brennen!" So I went back to sleep to wake up at 8:30. Not as bad as 7, but still way early. I think I have lost my ability to sleep in.
     So I got up- grabbed my bible study "stuff" and off I went to find the perfect spot. So this is what I got:

     Perfect. Look at it. I'm in the shade. I have my table to set everything on. My California coffee cup that Katie Sottile gave me, my post it note highlighter. Journal. Bible. 2 study books. I'm on a roll right?
I begin my study- things are going great- then I get a text. Of course, I shouldn't have brought my phone out- but what if someone REALLY needed me? Then about 10 minutes later, I have to pee. I then drop my highlighter. I'm getting uncomfortable in the seat I chose. And I'm loosing focus.
     A fly goes into my coffee. I still can't get comfortable. Then, of all things, my perfect morning that had the perfect temperature outside- it began to get hot. I hate sweating. Girly huh? So up I went. Got all my stuff and moved here:

     I have now added a cup of ice water, and by the time I decided to take this picture- I had eaten a bowl of honey nut cheerios. Where's my journal? Oh yeah, I had been to the couch as well. So it's still on the couch. And my other study book. 

     So what's my point in telling you my quiet time frustrations? Just to assure myself that there is no perfect way to have a quiet time. There is no perfect spot. No perfect journal. Not even my highlighter that has post it notes built in. All my quiet time requires is me and God. That simple. I get so worked up over being comfortable- having a good study time. Something normal. But what if God designed us different? God designed me to be eating cheerios, drinking water, and still spending time with God. And that was just this morning. Some mornings it's nothing more than laying in my bed and talking (yes, out loud) to him. Sometimes- I use my computer so I don't get hand cramps. Whatever it is how you worship and spend your time with the Lord is perfectly fine. All He cares is that we are spending time with Him. It doesn't take a journal, Bible, 2 studies, and a cup of coffee. All of those things are great. And great tools. But it is simply you and God. Soaking him up. Listening to what He has to say to you.

Jesus! You alone are all that we need. Forgive us for trying to set up a perfect way of being in Your presence. Continue to teach us that You are always with us. It is simply being with You that we need. Thank you Jesus for how simple it really is. We love you with our entire beings. Amen. 

Post Birthday Love.

     God is good. Yesterday morning I laid in bed- and said a simple prayer- "Jesus, thank you for my birthday! I can't wait to see what you are going to give me today!" I'm sure some of you think that I'm all about some gifts- but you'd be surprised to find out that on the love language chart- gifts is my lowest. :) Jesus did some amazing things for me yesterday on my birthday. I love that He loves to bless us. 

     

20th Birthday Memories:

1. Berry Smoothie from Smoothie King- I think I am now addicted. 

2. My Pappy looking ridiculously cute eating pizza with a towel on his head. (Mom was about to cut his hair, nonetheless, it made my day.)

3. Sushi with Pastor Jeff, Melissa, Jordan and mom. So blessed to have them in my life.

4. Fun car rides.

5. Buying 2 cans of Coca Cola Classic. 

6. Ashley Abney and Candice Houvener. Sweeet girls. 

7. Logan's Steakhouse paying for our entire groups meal. Yep. 14 of us. (Hallelujah!)

8. Birthday blessings and prophesies on the way home. 

9. Being with my twin. 

10. Post birthday breakfast with some amazing women in my family. 

11. Some amazing friends that were so sweet with their birthday wishes.

     The Lord was truly good to me. He whispered love and joy in my ears all day. I felt his presence all day. I'm pretty sure He was hugging me all day long. He gave me good sleep and a fabulous dream. He gave discernment. My God is so good to me and I am so thankful. 

Birthday Post!

     I woke up this morning so excited. Why? Because there is nothing better than having a day that is all about me! :) Just being honest. And then my thoughts went to my day- which meant that a smoothie was on my mind. I persuaded mom to take me to get a smoothie.... with her money! :) I love getting paid for, sounds pretty gold diggerish huh? But when you pay for your own stuff, it's always nice to have mom pay for something every now and then. So on my birthday, I get free smoothies from momma! After logging onto facebook and being overwhelmed by the birthday love I thought about you all. My blogging buddies. And I immediately wanted to post a birthday post. :) 

     As I was reading this morning- I got so excited when I came across this scripture:

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me; 

the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 

     He chose to make me! He knit me together in my mothers womb. And He is enthralled by my beauty! (Ps. 46:10) I love how beautiful and special the Lord makes me feel. The confidence He has given me. I am so, so, so thankful for that. 

     So blogging friends, you are now reading a woman's blog. I am no longer a teen, but a confident 20 year old that can't wait to see what God brings this year. I know it will only be good things. 

     So I thought I would share 19 life lessons from my 19th year in life:

1. You must love God before everything else. Everything. It works best that way.

2. Complete obedience is so key in your walk with Christ.

3. Never take bacon for granted. Or mashed potatoes. 

     A year ago today [in Panama] my favorite present was mashed potatoes! 

4. Just because you go over seas and do missions does not make you a superstar. It's about how you live when your at home.

5. The Holy Spirit and the gifts are for today. And when you work in them get ready! 

6. Love people. No matter where they are in life. Just love them. 

7. Never take for granted family. 

8. You really can be too cool for school. ;) 

9. God places you in divine places for a reason. You never know who you are going to impact.

10. Never go a day without smiling, laughing, or giving someone a hug. 

11. My life is not my life. It is a life I have been extremely blessed to have, and it must be lived for Jesus and His glory.

12. The devil ain't got no thing on me. I'm taking back my authority.

13. Constant motion is a necessity. 

14. God speaks through my dreams at night. 

15. Butterflies = transformed life. 

16. Bangles and big ear rings make you look put together. 

17. Caramel is the best compliment to coffee. 

18. There is no better feeling than being exactly where God wants you to be. 

19. It is a choice to love life even if it sucks sometimes. 

 So- happy birthday to me! 

Happy birthday to my beautiful twin sister! 

Me- Age 20! Look different!?

And on a side note:

Yesterday I posted on "more" and desires. And last night Pastor Jeff Phillips said something that went right along with it- "Can your character stand up with your desires?" Smack! Right in the face. Think about it!

All Who Are Thirsty

I had a friend, Stephanie Wright, you can check her out here, and she asked me to do a post for her blog. And she would feature me. Fabulous! I love it. How fun. I'm a guest blogger. Hehe! However, I still wanted to share it with you all! So my lovely blogging friends, enjoy my All Who Are Thirsty post! :) 

All Who Are Thirsty

     What is funny about my blog title is that my personal blog’s name is the opposite. All Who Are Weary. But I think that in all reality they go hand and hand. Weary and Thirsty. To sum up those words; you just want more. The other night I was praying over a friend and the Lord brought that word to my mind. More. Defined by Webster more means greater, additional, further, adding to. When we are talking about our relationship with the Lord- more is never a bad word. In fact, it’s biblical. The Lord created us for more. To be constantly moving forward in our walk with the Lord. To be adding to our relationship. 

It’s how we are designed. We are designed for a constant state of more. To be expecting what is to come. Yes, we are to be thankful for what the Lord is doing, but we are also to be expectant. Never putting God on a “this is all you can do” level. Jesus tells us himself in red letters:

‎"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear." 

John 16:12

He always has more to tell us. What the Lord is revealing to us now is preparing us for what He will reveal to us next. Glory, Hallelujah, and Amen! I am so thankful that the Lord wants to continue to teach, show, reveal and release blessings and direction into my life. Come on! That gets me so excited. The Lord not only wants to say more to us he also wants to take us from glory to glory. 

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another.” 

2 Corinthians 3:18 

This scripture came to me today in my daily reading. I was reading “Daily Secrets of the Christian Life” by Hannah Whitall Smith and she said it like this, “Our work is to ‘behold the glory of the Lord,’ and as we behold, the Lord effects the marvelous transformation, and we are changed into his likeness.” She continues to say that we must behold the glory, and that the glory is His character. I see the same thing with Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” When we begin to delight ourself in Him, our desires actually become His desires. We begin to desire the very thing that He desires for us. (Only good things!) That’s one of the prayers I constantly am praying- Lord, make Your desires my desires! Such a simple prayer, but it can change your look on life. You begin to see things in your Holy Spirit eyes. Your heart and your desires change. 

After I returned from Panama,
after 6 months
of not seeing each other!

Let me tell you a little about myself. I graduated high school in 2009 and with graduation comes a multitude of decisions. Life hits you like a ton of bricks once you graduate. In our society, you are expected to know what you are going to do with your life. I have always been ready to go against the flow and be different, but I never would have guessed where the Lord would take me. I graduated in June and by mid July I was in Panama, Central America for 5 and a half months doing a Discipleship Training School with Youth With A Mission. (I highly recommend to anyone wanting more in their walk with Christ.) I have a best friend, who happens to be my identical twin sister, and I left her for the first time for more than 2 weeks. My freshman year of high school I never would have guessed I’d be in villages and the streets of la Ciudad de Panama sharing the love of Jesus. What I am trying to say is that almost a year later I still am in that same boat. I don’t know what I want to be [technically/career wise] in my life. But what I do know, is that I am under the authority of Christ and I will do whatever it is He tells me. My desires have changed from wanting to have a 6 figure income to simply wanting to go where He instructs and serving where it is needed. 

Am I saying that college is bad? No, not at all. My twin is exactly where God has placed her in a public university studying math. (How that is biblically sound, I have no idea. I call her crazy. ;) She assures me she is sane.)

The bottom line is- each of us have to make a decision that we want more of Jesus. We want more gifts, we want more discernment, we want more worship, we want more intimacy with Him. And all it is is a decision. After we decide- it’s a hunger and thirst for Him that we pursue. We simply become thirsty. And he is our ultimate thirst quencher. Gatorade ain’t gonna do ya any good this time around. Dive in, go deep, hunger, thirst, and let the Ultimate Provider supply your every need. 

Shout of Faith.

     (First note- if your new to my blog I would suggest you go back and skim the past 2 blogs! You'll appreciate this one more.)
    
     This morning as I was reviewing my last blog to see where I left off I realized that we aren't done with chapter 5! I left out some interesting stuff! From Joshua 1-5 we understand the importance of obedience, taking authority, faith, stepping into out Jordan, and change. Yep, I said it... change. The thing I left out is so key to this last point. After the Israelites crossed the Jordan, Joshua was commanded to circumcise at Gilgal. The reason why?

     "Joshua 5:4-6 Now this is why he did so: All those ho came out of Egypt- all the ment of military age - died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt died, since they had not obeyed the Lord....."

     After they obeyed the Lord- He removed the reproach of Egypt from them. Hallelujah. The Israelites are camped at Gilgal and they celebrated Passover. The day after- the manna stopped. This is where change comes in. The Israelites were used to the manna, everyday they knew they were going to eat it. It was regular, scheduled, normal. Then.... manna stopped. It doesn't go into any detail on their reaction to the manna stopping, but I can only imagine. Think of how we react to change and I'm sure that their reactions had some similarity. It was time for a new thing. The Lord was about to take them from something they were in and move them into something greater. When you are in the midst of change, letting go is neccesary. Letting go is not always a bad thing, it can lead you into greater and better things. Our relationship with Christ should be a constant moving forward. With this constant "more of You Jesus" attitude we will go through change. It is inevitable. And it is good. Dr. Phil Brassfield said this statement this past weekend at a Destiny Ministries Conference at Promiseland Metro, "The role of a leader is to manage the motion of change while moving in advancing IN the Kingdom." Good stuff huh? If you are a leader- then get your boots ready- because your gonna be changing. The manna stops, change is coming, the Lord provided. 

     Fall of Jericho..... here we go! :) The Commander of the Lord's army visited Joshua- Joshua fell face down (act of humility and reverence) and the Commander said- this is Holy Ground. Joshua was moving into the will of God- he was stepping into Holy Ground. When we obey the Lord and step into the things He is calling us to- we are also stepping on to Holy Ground. 

     Israelites are moving toward Jericho. Jericho is tightly shut up. Noone is entering or leaving. Walls are bound. The Lord instructs the Israelites to march. March around city with all armed men for 6 days. On the 7th day, march 7 times. There was lots of other "rules" that were given. And what did the Israelites do? Complete obedience. Did exactly as the Lord commanded. Which impresses me, because if the Lord told me to walk around a city 7 times in one day.... I would laugh. (Just saying.) So they marched.... in silence (that would make me laugh too). And on the 7th day, 7th time around, after the long blast..... the Shout of Faith occurred! They let out a shout as the Lord commanded them and the walls fell. Notice that the walls didn't fall after they walked forever. The walls fell when in faith they shouted that those walls were going to fall. And what did the walls do? Fell. Funny how God does what He says He will do. ;) Hehe. 

     The Lord also warned them that when the walls did fall- that they were to be careful to stay away from the devoted things and to spare Rahab and her household. Whenever we receive our breakthrough we still have to be on guard for the "devoted things". The city was burned down so that nothing tempting would be there. Sometimes- our obedience is radical. And thats how it's supposed to be. We have to do whatever we have to do to obey. The last verse in Chapter 6 says "So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread thoughout the land." Hallelujah!

     My challenge.... what is our Jericho? What do we need to have a shout of faith for? What are the things that we need to burn down so we aren't tempted anymore? Will we embrace the change that will come with it?  My tip? Complete obedience. Complete faith. Radical faith. Shout it out. Shout it down. And live in freedom with the Lord. 

<3B.