Life Changing Moments

     There are moments in life that grip your heart and somehow in one single moment change the entire course of your life forever. It could be something someone said to you that inspired you, a tragic accident, the birth of a child, the loss of a loved one, or if you are me- a single documentary. Saturday night I came home, grabbed a blanket, and put Elevation Church's "This Is How We Change The World" documentary in my DVD player. I figured I would watch it, be inspired, and that be the end of it. It played for about 2 minutes and then the tears came. I cried through the entire documentary. The story of how God used a chosen group of people to do something amazing in the Kingdom of God impacted my heart in a way I can't put into words. I'm not exactly sure why the tears came. I think, that it resonated within my soul and it urged, convicted, and inspired me to do the things God has called me to.
     Think about it, the core families that faced adversity, rejection, and trials through planting Elevation Church were a part of changing 10,000+ lives. They made a sacrifice, worked hard, seeked the Lord's will diligently, and had audacious faith to see God do something only He could do. Their faith and obedience caused a chain reaction. The lives they have effected can not be numbered.
     I've always said that I want to change the world. Since I was young, I've always wanted to make a difference. I am coming to the realization that in order to change the world- you simply have to do what God called you to do. Think, if every person did what they were called to do. The Kingdom of God would invade the Earth- lives would constantly be changed to a life of abandonment of loving Jesus, and the cycle would continue.
     After watching the documentary, Ephesians 3 came to mind. I sat down and read it uncertain of what would come about it. The verse that stuck out was saying that God can do immeasurably more than we can think or imagine. My dreams for my life can not compare to the Lord's desires for my life. He is capable. He is willing and He can.
     Before Saturday, I was going through the motions. Wanting more, not really for sure how to go about it, struggling to figure out my niche in today's society. Don't get me wrong- I'm still there.... but what is different is I have a hope that has welled up inside me that God is going to bring me to and through it. He is equipping, preparing, and fulfilling me to do His calling that He has placed on my life.

     Take some time today to look at your life and see if you are living a life of audacious faith. A life of living on the edge expecting God to do something miraculous. Then take some time to think of the "moments" in your life that changed it forever. Ask yourself if you are still pursing the things you were after that moment, or if you've gotten back into the cycle of everyday life and have forgotten.

He is willing. Step out. Step up. Live your calling.

"Jesus, What are YOU doing!?"

     "Jesus... what are You doing?" was the question I jotted down in my journal today. Sometimes in life things come in it that you just wonder what God has up His sleeve. That's what is going on in my life. This past week has been a week full of encounters with Him. He is stretching me, asking me to dream bigger, think larger, and be bolder. He's bringing things into my life that I "wonder" about. It's so easy to try and dissect every little thing and try to figure it all out. But, what good will that do? None.... I simply must come to a place of absolute trust.
     A friend recently told me, "Absolute trust = Absolute peace". Ah, the truth that is in that statement! If I am worrying over every little thing and trying to manipulate things into happening the way I see fit- I am not trusting. Therefore, I live in a chaotic mind set. A chaotic mindset is not aligning me to hear from the Lord.
     I want to always position myself to be able to hear from the Lord. So many times I catch myself complaining to my friends, "I'm just not hearing the Lord speak." How wrong am I!? So wrong. Either He IS speaking and my chaotic mind isn't listening. Or, He's already told me something and I haven't been obedient.
     Last month, the Lord spoke very clearly to me and told me to give a young girl in the church something. I shut it off and said no way. Last week, He told me again. This time, I obeyed. In that month- I was not hearing from the Lord. Since last Tuesday when I stepped out in obedience- I can not get enough of the Presence of God. He's been speaking to me.... that's just one testimony of when you obey the Lord you are aligning yourself to receive from Him. We have to be in alignment with His word and His kingdom. Pastor Jeff does such a great job at explaining this, I may have to get him to write a "blog" for me about it. :)
     Back to what God is doing in our lives. Stop worrying, He has it under control. It's so good to hear that sometimes. To be reminded of His faithfulness. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He doesn't withhold any good thing from us. He gives us the desires of our hearts.
     I was reading Psalms 103-105 today and I wanted to share a few truths from it:

104:27 God will give us our food at the proper time. Check out that verse! The hungry get fed!

104:30 He renews the Earth with His spirit. +Get in His presence, there is renewing. 

105:15 If you are walking in your anointing- you are protected. 

Stand on His promises. Allow God to work, don't try to figure it out. It's like your on a rollercoaster. If you know every turn and curve and up and down it can take the fun out of it. It's the surprises in roller coasters that make it fun. ;) Get ready people!

Insignificant Purpose.

I am to a point in my life where I'm ready for things to be worth it. I'm so tired of pointless homework, meetings, relationships, etc. Everything that I do- I want to have purpose. I write this as I sit in Panera Bread procrastinating homework. I know that the way I handle my homework will correlate into how I handle other responsibilities in my life. However, I am still ready for them to have purpose! Most of my homework assignments have purpose... the specific one I'm not doing right now... does not.
     I'm not 100% positive on how to get to the place where things are significant. And I should probably smack my hand and correct my thoughts.... because what I do today does have purpose. The way I handle the seemingly "insignificant" things in my life right now- builds discipline and character for the things I will handle in the future. Press on brothers and sisters. For there will be a rainy day when I'm watching my kids and being the wife that I am called to be when I'll look back and be thankful that I was obedient today for the things God is calling me into.
     How you handle today will be a building block on how you handle tomorrow. Deal with today's problems with diligence.... Prepare yourself today for the things you'll face tomorrow.

     And the life I dream of will come.... the life that only the Lord could bless me with.... is in the making. It's in the building process. The foundation is being laid..... I'd never want a house without a foundation just like I'd never want a family, husband, relationships, job, and other things the Lord will bring into my life wihtout a strong enough foundation (character, determination, will-power, wisdom, etc) to support it.

Build a foundation today..... even with the things that seem so meaningless and insignificant.

What is Sizing You Up?

     This (crazy) woman has a pet boa constrictor. A snake that she absolutely loves. Loves so much that it sleeps with her at night. She noticed that he hadn't been eating for a while and that when he was sleeping he was sleeping in a straight line, when he normally slept curled up in ball. She decided to call her vet and ask him about it. As she tells him all of this he immediately says to get rid of the snake as soon as possible. Come to find out..... The snake had been fasting so he could save enough space to eat his owner. He had been sleeping straight up and down because he was sizing up his owner. And when he reached a certain length then he knew that he had enough space to eat her.
     Pretty dang gross right? I absolutely hate snakes, so I really hate this story. I thought about doing some research to find out more about this "sizing up" thing that they do, but refrained because I knew I'd have nightmares, and constantly be on the snake look out! However, I couldn't get this story out of my mind for quite a while. Because it floors me that the woman would sleep with a snake. That is ridiculous. As I began to think on this it hit me that we do the same things.
     We allow things in our life that can potentially harm or kill us. Addictions, ungodly relationships, ungodly habits and behaviors, etc. We know that it isn't what God intended for us- but we go ahead and let it sleep with us, size us up, and give it the opportunity to eat us alive. And that is exactly what sin will do. satan will use every opportunity that we give him to get into our lives. He can manipulate it to where in the beginning "it's not a big deal". The sin is so small that why would it even matter? (Sin always matters, that's a lie. It's from satan so don't listen to that!) But as time passes we get more comfortable with that sin in our life... and it grows... and before you know it, it's just like that boa constrictor. Waiting for the moment to take our life away. Sin is crouching at our door, and we must rule over it (Genesis 4:7).
     So, what do we do with this massive, life-sucking, killing, monster of a sin!?
1. We cut it off. Get rid of it. Give yourself no access to it. This is not a time to show yourself that you can be strong and just say no. No, do not even give yourself the opportunity to get into that area of sin again.
2. Get an accountability partner. It is too easy to go back to the things we are comfortable with. Having someone that will hold you accountable to your decision to go God's way over your own will be extremely helpful.
3. Replace it with something Godly. Find something that you can do for God.
4. Pray against that struggle. It is from satan- therefor it doesn't stand a chance. Rebuke it and replace it with the truth. For example, if you have trouble with body image- rebuke the lie that you aren't pretty. And replace it with "the King is enthralled by my beauty" (Psalm 45:11).
5. Dust yourself off and keep moving. Your past does not define you. You still have an opportunity to be the best you that God created. It's never too late.



     Take a look at your life and ask yourself the question, "What is sizing me up?" or "What am I trapped inside from allowing myself to "sleep" with ungodly harmful things?


I end this post with a quote from Kris Vallotin, "You have not been put on earth for the devil to tormet you, you have been put on this earth to torment the devil."



  

Not Noticed.

     I have this new obsession. And it truly is an obsession. One Tree Hill. It's a tv show that has been airing for quite some time. I am not very good at watching shows every week and planning my schedule around it. (I think it's a good thing.) However, my friend has loaned me the entire seasons. So that makes it easy to escape and spend hours watching this show. At the point of the show I am in, they are in high school. And boy, does it make me want to go back to high school.
     That's a big statement for me to say. But really, if I could, I 'd go back at least for a week. And I would eat lunch with the ones who have been left out. I would walk down the hallway with the young man who always gets made fun of, and I'd get to know the slightly awkward girl who never speaks. I would make a difference. 
     When I was in high school, I was wrapped up in how much I hated it that I didn't even look to see what I could do to make it better for someone else. There are students and people that go to school and work who despise their lives. Who go unnoticed. Who miss school for weeks and no one ever notices. They live with pain and depression. And why didn't I do anything about it!? Why don't I do something about it? 
     I don't have to be in high school to change someone's life. There are still lonely people. I want to find them. And I want to love them. Why? Because that's what life is about. Life isn't about the coolest new trend, or having the coolest things..... Life is about making a difference. It's about sharing Jesus' love. 
     I hate to admit it, but I'm not sharing His love these days. I'm in my safe "clique" of Christian friends, I've lost my heart for the lost, broken, and down-hearted. But through a television show, the Lord has opened my eyes to them once again. I sat on my couch and cried for them yesterday in shame. Because my heart had never heart for them like that in way too long. My heart is in process of being broken. Broken for the things it should be broken for. And for that, I am not ashamed. 
     Life isn't about me, life is about Jesus and the hurting. Make a difference. Begin today. 

Isaiah 58 says it best,  ⁶ “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: 

to loose the chains of injustice 

   and untie the cords of the yoke, 

to set the oppressed free 

   and break every yoke? 

⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry 

   and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— 

when you see the naked, to clothe them, 

   and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 

⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn, 

   and your healing will quickly appear; 

then your righteousness^[a] will go before you, 

   and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 

⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; 

   you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Be Who God Created You to Be

     Be who God created you to be. This is what God has been speaking directly to my heart this past week. Don't try to be someone else, be who God created you to be. God designed each of us to be different for a reason. We are created uniquely and with our own passions, desires, and personality. Use it for God's glory. Don't try to be something you are not to gain respect, love, or admiration from those around you. This does nothing but set them [and you] up for disappointment. Because, months/ years down the road- they will realize who you really are. 
     I have realized that identity crisis is a problem that is rampant in the church world. We don't know who we are. Get to know yourself. You can not be the best friend, husband, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, or cousin that you can be without knowing WHO you are and WHOSE you are. I am on this journey of discovering who I am. Here are some truths that have helped me figure out who I am:


-Don't apologize for the things that you love to do. Own them and do them with your best ability. 
-Ask God who You are. Start reading Psalm 119. And search out the scriptures for truths on what God says about His children. 
-Try out new things. See if it makes you come alive.... you never know if you don't try. 
-Work on making the things you are good at the thing you are BEST at. Never quit learning what you love to do. 
-Ask those closest to you what they see in you. And be able to handle the advice that they give you. 
-Choose to work on the things you aren't good at that you should be good at. (For example: I have to become good at receiving correction and on forgiveness.) Biblical qualities- work on those. Ya' can't go wrong with that. 
-Go after the things that God calls you to. You will be walking in His will and His purpose- becoming the person that God created you to be. 
-Know who God is. Get to know Your Savior, allow Him to be the love of Your life, in knowing who He is- you will discover who YOU are! 


     I always have struggled with knowing what is my passion.... I have never felt the feeling of "coming alive" when I do something- until the other day. I have always had a strong love for purity and holiness being restored in the church body. But last week, I found my passion. I got the opportunity to talk to a small group of young ladies about remaining sexually pure until your wedding night. And let me tell you what, I CAME ALIVE. I have never felt that heart burning passion while living out something- but I did. And it's amazing! I had to branch out and try it. I knew it was something that I wanted to teach and show others- but I had no idea how much I loved it! Since that night I have had visions and dreams of teaching at large conferences, small groups, youth groups, and one on one mentorships about living a life of purity because you want to- not because you are supposed to! I encourage you to search out and find the things that make you come alive. And when you do, don't abandon it- pursue it and go after it. 


     When it all comes down to it. Just be who God created YOU to Be! Be the best YOU that you can be, mold yourself into the best Godly, pure, and holy person that you can be. 

I found a website with some scripture on who we are in Christ: Check these out- and read more on the link below!

I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17,18).

I have no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

I am God’s child⎯for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (I Peter 1:23).

I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10). I am a new creature in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). I am a spirit being⎯alive to God (I Thessalonians 5:23; Romans 6:11).

http://resourcesforchristians.net/downloads/print/whoiam.pdf