Be Still and Listen

For a while now I have been asking the Holy Spirit to guide me, to speak to me throughout the day. Today I realized that my prayers had been answered I just hadn't been still enough to listen, to hear Him. It's so funny to me how we pray and ask God for something but don't really think about what that will take from us. We just expect it to be a huge thing we that happens in our life that blow us away. God hears us, and he will answer us! 1 John 5:14 And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him (according to His will). 15 And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for. But first, we must do our part and pay attention to His direction.

I sit here looking back on situations where I was moving too quickly and had my own agenda and things  turned out completely opposite of how I, myself imagined. I recall hearing check this or do this prior to acting in a way that I saw fit BUT I had my mind already made up that I was going to do a thing so I didn't listen, I wasn’t focused on being still to listen but more so on what I thought needed to be done. Let's give an example to put things into perspective. One weekend there were so many things I needed to get and I felt pressed to get them because I only had one off day for a two week span. I heard the Holy Spirit say check your account, but of course I was like “no, it's okay”, I know how much I had to spend and I know I haven't reached that limit. The day that I finally decided to check my account while bored at work I find out that I had overdraft. Luckily I had the money to cover for it along with a few returns to make but the overdraft could have easily been prevented. I could've used different money on the final purchase of my off day or possibly gone without something, but you see I had my own plans. I wasn't worried about being still in that moment because I saw myself running out of time. Now I'm sitting here asking myself whose time am I on? Who am I really living for? I say I'm living for God and I say I submit to him, I say that I want to be a good steward of my money and I have even asked God for help in that department but when it comes time to do so I'm too worried about me. 

We must focus on God, we must be patient enough in our daily lives to listen and act when He tells us to. God is for us, He delights in us, He doesn't want to see us fail but we have to be open to listen. We have to fully trust him. We must die to our flesh and live according to the Holy Spirit. Taking my time on this earth into my own hands is wasting time because I was placed here for a purpose. Yes, I am to enjoy myself while here but I am not supposed to get side tracked. Psalm 37: 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD: and he shall give you the desires of your heart. I am not supposed to forget who I serve and that everything I do here on earth is for God's glory. I must remember that when I pray and ask God for things I am now held accountable, I am now required to do my part and slow down a bit to make sure I am hearing Him and being obedient to His direction. 

Let's slow it down and allow God to speak to us. I have asked God to speak to me all throughout the day, this means I need to be consistently listening for His voice and telling myself to shut up! He won't always speak to me when I want Him too but that's okay because I am to live according to His time according to His plans for me.

For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Feeling Discouraged? God has NOT forgotten.

1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

Gosh it is so easy to get discouraged. So easy to think God has forgotten about you. These little spells of discouragement that we encounter are absolutely nothing compared to the greatness God has in store for us. Believe me, I have been through what seem to be some hard times. As I encounter some of what seem to be the lowest times it can seem hard to encourage myself, let alone others. I am only 22 years old and sometimes I feel like all odds are against me. I truly believe as we grow closer to Christ and the more we set out to fully live for Him the more we will be tested. The harder things will seem. But with God on our side we are able to do much more than we could ever even imagine. No matter how old you are or where you are in your walk a few bad days don't equal a bad life at all. The hard times are what make you stronger. They give you something to look back at and realize how God has favored you. They are sweet things that remind us that He is there and always has been.

I posted a post saying on my instagram account the other day, “how bad do you want it” we will encounter hard times. In every stage of our walk, in all of the good there will be a bit of hardship. We must not look at these times as bad but as lessons preparing us for God's best!

Obey – to follow the commands or guidance of; to conform or to comply with.

The importance of obedience of true obedience is something I began to learn at the beginning of this year. I always heard about obedience, my mom always talked about how I must be obedient. We “know” what obedience is… or at least we think we know. Obedience to your parents is definitely important, following the laws of the land is definitely important. Those seem like no brainers right… Being obedient is easy, as long as you make a decision to be obedient… right? Well I thought so too until tested with my obedience to God.

The first test of obedience was when God told me to quit my job towards the end of 2013. Quit my job… WHAT? Oh no, surly I’m tripping. Maybe I’m being lazy, I cant quit my job. Man who doesn’t work doesn’t eat. I can’t be labeled a quitter. What will everyone say? What will my parents think? How will I make it? Will my dad disown me? How will I pay my bills? I struggle while having a job, there is no way in the world I can make it without one.These are all of the things that I thought when faced with if this was something I wanted to do or something God was telling me to do. Jeremiah 42:6 Whether we like it or not, we will obey the LORD our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us. I often prayed for Gods will to be done in my life, for Him to show me exactly what he wanted for me to do that I may do it but once He started showing me I didn’t think I was ready for it. I had to keep in mind that I am able to do ALL things, not in my own strength but through His strength working inside of me.  I will talk more about my experience of quitting my job and how I knew it needed to be done and the benefits of doing so in a later post.

The second test of obedience was leaving Isaiah 46:3 “Listen to me, descendants of Jacob, all you who remain in Israel.I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born. 4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. on a co-workers desk. This co-worker didn’t want to live for God in any way. He didn’t think God loved Him and He would express this to me and another co-worker often along with all of the things that He truly enjoyed and the ways He was different and how if God loved him then these things wouldn’t take place. Leaving this scripture on His desk was something I didn’t understand and battled on if I should do; however, I did it. I wasn’t sure if he would respond well, if he would report me to HR, if he would retaliate in any way at all but I trusted God in telling me to do so. A few days later I received a text from a friend of mine, another co-worker telling me that the guy really enjoyed the scripture and that He believes it was true. This may not be big to you but it blew my mind. His heart was so far from Christ and to know that reading that scripture and my obedience led to him seeing it and believing it completely blew my mind. A few months after that I found out that he went to church and let go of all of his past hurts and was going to try and fully live his life for Christ.

I have been tested in the area of obedience a few times after that but these are most important because in being obedient in both of these areas God has been able to completely blow my mind with how much He loves me and how much He is willing and able to do for those who love Him. We read about how much God did for His people but not until seeing it in my life did it really hit home for me. Sometimes we may feel like we have fallen short in areas of our life so to be obedient and/or be bold about what God is telling us seems hard or not exactly right. In moments where God is directing us we must not look at our current situation and think we aren't able to follow instruction. God knows what He is doing and it may be the small act of obedience that pushes you towards coming out of whatever you're in and probably shouldn't be in. Afterall, is thinking that you're not worthy and being obedient anyway worse than not thinking you're worthy and being disobedient on top of that. How will God ever use you with that mindset? Surrender all. Allow God to use you!

Some of the things that helped me in being obedient were the fact that if I wasn’t obedient I was afraid of what would happen to me. When God gives us the ability to do something, or instruction it is not always just for us, it is often times for others. When we get so tied up in how it benefits ourselves opposed to God’s children, our brothers and sisters in Christ we end up missing it. Sometimes I catch myself being selfish and prior to writing this blog I was in a very selfish state of mind. Having a hard time with the cards I had been dealt. In this moment it was pressed on my heart to write, and out of doing so came this blog (I feel so much better). The second thing that assisted in me being obedient was reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, he states that delayed obedience is still disobedience. After reading that my heart broke, I never wanted to be disobedient to my parents, there was no way I could live with being disobedient to God. Even delaying my obedience could mean I was being disobedient. Oh no, that definitely is in the back of my head when I hear God's instruction. Sure, I fall short. Sure, I question if its God or not, but in these moments I simply take it to Him. If I am worried about what I am praying about my instruction from God is delayed and then whatever I was supposed to do in obedience becomes even stronger and seems to weigh me down. I don’t like experiencing that, so I am trying to get better and trust Him all the way through being obedient as soon as He directs me to and not later. Once upon a time I prayed hard for faith like Abraham, I can honestly say that I have been tested in both faith and obedience. It definitely takes faith in order to be obedient. When you are obedient to Christ you have to lay down your own desires trusting that God's plan is greater than your own. Trusting that He knows just what you want and need and exactly what you need to experience before having it that you may cherish it. When you are feeling low remember that God does things out of love, we are not being punished. We cherish love, but we must remember that God Is Love! (1 John 4:8)

#HaveYouDiedLately

We are Gods children, He cherishes us, He loves us. We must not lose hope or get discouraged for He is with us. These are words of encouragement from me to you because I would be lying if I said I don’t get discouraged also. When it seems like the entire world is against you remember that your creator will always be for you. When it seems like everyone else is doing so much better than you, DON’T GIVE UP! You never know who is depending on you, keep Gods word close to your heart you will need it when you feel like nothing else is worth it.  1 John 3:16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. Stay encouraged brother and sister. Remembering how much it's worth.

Real Life: I BlamED My Parents

In my openness I hope to bless you, I hope to show you that no matter where you come from or what you have been through there is always a way out with God. I trust and believe that God can mend and transform a broken heart. The ways in which you are broken may be different than my ways but God is able to renew US completely. I hope to share what he has done for me as encouragement for you.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

Growing up it was always hard for me to ask my parents for anything because they would get frustrated with each other and tell me about it, or tell me to relay a message to the other person. Usually the message was about something they had a problem with or a question that insinuated there was a problem. As a result, I began to feel like I wasn’t worthy. Like I didn’t deserve anything they had to give me. Like I was a mistake and didn’t belong. Do I blame them? No, I can’t. For a long time though, I did. I thought how on earth can these people be my parents and not realize how much they are hurting me with their words, their actions.

My parents did so much to make sure that I was taken care of. Watching my mom work multiple jobs hurt as a child because honestly I was selfish, stubborn, spoiled and insecure. I often wondered why my mom would rather work than spend time with me. I didn’t always think this but there were definitely times when this thought crossed my mind. As I grew older I realized that she was just doing everything in her power to provide for me, our family. 1 Timothy 5:8 But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. Anyone who she is able to help she helps no matter how hard it was on her. She has such a giving spirit she can’t help but to help everyone else. Of course she is human so sometimes when life got to be too much or she was stretched too thin she would become angry with everyone around her, mainly me. In these times she was just trying to balance her emotions and the older I get the more I understand. Was it right? No! But she is human and we all make mistakes, mistakes in which we must learn from.

My father made sure to teach me things I would need to make it in this world. He broke me, he let me go without, he put me in situations that to me seemed so hard but he would never put me in a difficult situation where he was unable to save me or pull me out of it. I remember when I was about 12 or 13 and thought that I was afraid of dogs but I wanted to have dogs (confusing right). Anyway, we had a dog and once he got so big I didn’t want to mess with him, feed him, none of that. My dad called me outside and made me put my hand in the dog’s mouth. I was terrified and didn’t understand why a father would do his baby girl like that…of course it was to show me that I was fearful of nothing. My dog wanted nothing more than to love me and play with me. I didn’t understand that for so long, I just thought “my father is crazy”. Ephesians 6:4 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

Also, as I grew older the things my dad gave me slowly became less and less. He was trying to teach me to make it on my own. Winging me off of depending on him and teaching me to ask for the things that I want in life. I still have not fully mastered this because with all that went on with my parents I developed the mentality that if I want something I will simply go out and get it myself or I don’t need it. Of course there are some things that I need my parents wisdom and help in doing and they are always there but it has to be HUGE and beyond my ability in order for me to go to them. Is this pride or is it just not wanting my parents to suffer because of me? Perhaps a little of both #heartcheck.  

Not until here lately am I able to realize that this was all for a reason. I have been feeling like nothing is working out and nothing is getting taken care of and like it is impossible for me to go out and just get what I want, I am struggling a bit getting a job and I have never not had a job. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the concept of not working. Of not having money, of not being able to pay my bills, none of it makes sense. My parents taught me things that would be beneficial during my walk with Christ but opposed to looking for the lessons I looked at all the negative, unsure of how their actions could be a lesson. Naïve to the idea of parenting; Proverbs 22:6 KJV Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. My mother was showing me how to love, and how a woman will go to any lengths to provide for her family. It took me depending on her and trusting that she would provide for me, in the same sense I have to transfer these skills towards my relationship with my heavenly father, depending on Him wholeheartedly. My father was teaching me to ask for things my heavenly father is teaching me to do the same. I AM NOTHING WITHOUT CHRIST!

John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” Time spent with God, praying to Him, casting all of your cares onto Him is time well spent! No one is able to fill your voids, not even YOU. God will heal you, He will help you, He is your strength. God has helped me dig deep down and find the things that hurt me, the things that were hindering my growth and breakthrough. There are multiple seasons of our life where we will learn new lessons. Be open to learning them! We should never be too PROUD to go to our heavenly father and seek direction. He is here to help and guide us. We must be consistent in our walk. Never giving up, never wavering. Read Matthew 7:7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” The process of getting over thinking that my parents didn't love me but wanted the best for me was very long and drawn out but with God on my side I have been able to overcome this insecurity. I will talk more about this in future blog posts.

Be patient as God unlocks doors for you (I am also speaking to myself). The road will not always be easy by any means but it is definitely worth it. Just because things get tough does NOT mean we should give up.

2 Corinthians 12:9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Faith - I want Gods best but...

Lord, I want your best for me. But if it includes leaving my job or school I don’t want to hear it. I want your best for me, but I don’t have the faith necessary to leave when you say leave. I don’t have the faith to stop when you say stop. To pray regarding if I have made the right decision, because you see God I have so much that needs to be done. I have to please my family; my current family and my family that I trust you for, they need me God. Yes, I know you need me too! But God let me do this. It says in your word that a man who doesn’t work doesn’t eat; therefore, I must work. I must go to school get a degree and get a good job to make good money and provide for my family. Serving in the church every Wednesday and Sunday because I want to live for you Lord, I desire for my will to align with yours. I want to do whatever it is that you have for me. I want to walk in a straight line. I will do my best not to intentionally sin. As I learn better I will do better! You are my rock, you are my provider I live for you and only you God. Just don’t deal with me regarding my finances.

Has this ever been you? Are you someone who feels like YOU have to work so hard to make those around you happy, to provide for your family to the point where you shut God out in this area of providing for you?

This has definitely been me. Growing up with everything I could ever want or think to want was so great! At least I thought. I was never really the type to ask for much so everything that I asked for I got. The older I became I realized that the things that I asked for sometimes came easy, and others didn’t. My parents would sometimes argue, doing everything they could to make sure their little girl wanted for nothing. Grateful, of course! But this hurt me. At the age of fourteen I decided that I was old enough to work so I was going to work and work hard. As many hours as I could as often as I could even if I had school it was like work was my top priority. This carried on with me throughout my entire high school and college career. I was something like a workaholic, just to keep my parents from having to worry about me. I had the mindset where if I took care of all of the stuff that I could this would take some of the stress off of them.

Of course I wasn’t able to pay for EVERYTHING and sometimes needed their help but I developed the mindset where I wouldn’t go to them unless I ABSOLUTELY had to. I would almost prefer to go without than to run to them. It seems like a good thing it seems like the way to live life, if you’re able you need to go out there and get whatever it is that you want in life, don’t sit around and wait for it to come to you. Man, did I hear that an awful lot from my peers. Go to school, get a good job, make good money. That was another common one that I heard and you may have heard yourself. The world around us has such a large impact on our life and our decisions that we end up blocking out Gods direction because of distractions. Do we aim to please man or do we aim to please Christ?

Towards the middle of last year I would listen to In Your Will – Men of Standard EVERY DAY pouring my heart out to God. Asking God to wreck me completely aligning my will with His, I knew that I was made new in Him 2 Corinthians 5:17. I had heard the story of Abraham and his son and the faith Abraham had so many times but it never clicked with me the way that it did one Sunday around September. The story moved me so much that I prayed asking God for faith like Abraham. So not only was I crying out to Him to align my will with his FAITHFULLY, I was praying for Faith like Abraham. Now remind you this is when I decide “okay, God I am going to lay everything down for you. I say I live for you but I am still living selfishly change me Lord”. This is when I was digging so deep into Gods word I was tired of going to church hearing the word, trying to apply it to my life but relying on the fact that He would forgive me so if I fell short it didn’t really matter. I mean of course I tried not to sin but I wasn’t as worried about it as I am not, which of course I am still growing! Nonetheless, I was praying for God to completely wreck me.

I wanted so badly to lay down my old self my goals my dreams to live for Him. Well at least that’s what I thought, that’s what I prayed for. Then one day God told me to quit my job. WHAT! Quit my what? Excuse me… Hmm nahhhhh! My response was horrible, I did everything I could to try and make the thought go away. I told myself a man who doesn’t work doesn’t eat. I told myself I was just overwhelmed and it would be okay. I told myself that I needed some sleep. I tried to regain the fire I had when I first started working at my job, I told myself that I had a purpose at my job and couldn’t leave. I did everything in my power to avoid the fact that God really told me that. I prayed about it, I got on my face before God about it. I told God that I wanted to please Him, I want His best for me but surely it’s not possible He wants me to quit my job. Why would I do that, I have to work I have to pay bills I can’t rely on my parents I’ve already pulled away from them. I’m independent now so God I can do this, I trust you but this is what I’m supposed to be doing so that I won’t be considered lazy.

God definitely gives us what we pray for I began to hear so many stories of others who were told to quit their job and how obedient they were and the results. I was given assignments by God to accomplish at work and knew that once I had done that my assignment there was complete. I had people reach out and offer to help me randomly. I knew that this was nothing but God, so I cut my hours. SMH that is not what he told me to do but I was trying to reason with God. I began getting migraines while at work, that would only come at work or when I talked about work. I thought maybe it was a sign because I was being hard headed but I continued to ignore it. I “HAD” to continue working! Then one day while reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren I came across a section that says “delayed obedience is still disobedience” this shocked me! It scared me! I couldn’t take it any longer. I turned in my notice, immediately the headaches stopped. This blew my mind.

Looking back on this I wouldn’t change a thing. I know now to count the cost before attempting to do something, before praying for something and more than that to be specific in my prayer. I love growing in Christ. Since I have quit my job I have been given so many opportunities and so many doors have been open for me. My ministry is on the way including the bracelets he led me to make, Have You Died Lately Bracelets . Had I stayed working at my job I wouldn’t have the time to do what it is that He needed me to do in this season. I am not by any means saying go quit your job it’s okay to quit because God will provide. I am however telling you to be obedient to God because He promises never to leave us nor forsake us. Hebrews 13:5 Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” If he has called you to it He will certainly see you through it. God will not tell us to do something that will hurt us or cause us intentional harm we may not understand the purpose and it may not even benefit us, it may be completely for someone else, but it will however be worth it! God is so good, he wants all of you! The world can’t give you anything more than the creator himself is able to give you.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Prayer: Lord, open my heart to you! Open my heart, my mind to hear what it is that you have for me. To see what it is that you’ve called me to do. If my plans do not align with yours wreck me Lord, come in and take over showing me your best for my life. Allow me to die to my flesh, to die to the ways of this world and live for you alone. I long for a heart like yours Lord, draw me closer to you. Strengthen me in you Lord as I know this may not be easy but I TRUST it will be worth it. Thank you Lord for my portion! Help me to stay in my own lane Lord and not get discouraged by the world around me in Jesus Name. AMEN!

Have You Died Lately?

Hand crafted, hand stamped “Have You Died Lately” bracelets, no two bracelets will look the same as far as the stamping process. These bracelets were placed on my heart to make and doing so has been such a rewarding experience with a lot of trial and error. This is such a fun exciting way to spread the Gospel and I am more than grateful that I was chosen by God to do this.

In making these bracelets so many fun creative ideas have come to mind but I wanted to start with some basic ideas first. Each bracelet has been prayed over after completion of the design; my prayer is that this bracelet will bless you and be a reminder to live life according to God’s plan and not your own. He is our creator and thus knows what is best for us. I pray that he gives you the strength and courage to lay down your own life that you may follow Him and live life more abundantly.

I love you all! Enjoy!

Romans 8:13 NIV For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

To order the basic bracelet click "Buy Now" below and include your shipping information and email address. Please visit my instagram page for updates on different styles of the bracelet. Instagram:HaveYouDiedLately Pendant:Antiqued silver plated onto lead free pewter. Band:Suede

  

 

Accountability - For You And Your Neighbor

Every scripture posted on this blog is in KJV if you need a better understanding I encourage you to look at a different translation or comment below and I will respond to you.

1 John 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

We may not think that are actions or behaviors are hurting us, we may think that we are simply enjoying life, “living”; having fun while we are young because once we are older with a family we won’t be able to. The moment that we gain wisdom regarding are actions is the moment in which we are accountable for the information we have learned. Don’t worry I am or have been guilty of the same thoughts, God convicts me daily. Although conviction may seem harsh it is more than needed. Even when we are punished we must rejoice in our punishment. God has told us that sin is not acceptable so why would we think we are excluded?

To live a life of sin and think we deserve a free pass means that we don’t believe Gods word is true. 1 John 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Recently God had told me to read the book of Habakkuk (if you have not read it you should), in this book Habakkuk had many questions for God because there was so much sin going on around him, so much wrong doing and Habakkuk didn’t understand how God put up with it. God told Habakkuk he was going to discipline the people of Judah and rather than growing angry that he was a part of Judah he rejoiced trusting everything that God was and all of his promises. Habakkak 3:17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.  

We may think its okay to go out to the clubs and drink with our friends, use foul language and wear little clothes; and granted the bible does not tell us specifically we can't do these things, but we are told not to cause others to stumble. If someone see’s us partaking in these behaviors and they don’t know much about Gods word they begin to think it’s acceptable. We are to be a light, in light there is no darkness. This is a question I ask often; if it is not pleasing to God why do it? This is how I hold myself accountable, yes I still sin, of course I fall short but I desire to be like Christ and the more I dig into Gods word the more he convicts me and changes me renewing my mind. I love him so much there is absolutely nothing I want to do to upset him or cause others not to experience his love.

Now, I will discuss things we shouldn’t do but often do because of lack of knowledge.

We know not to drink and get drunk or that drunkards will not inherit the kingdom. Eph 5:18 and be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. If we are to be filled with the Spirit why do we need to drink? True joy comes from The Lord, so drinking to enjoy yourself while you are out with friends isn’t really an excuse. Psalms 116:8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. God also promises us healing, so drinking to forget physical or emotional pain isn’t an excuse. Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  

Galatians 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkennes, revellings and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in the past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

We are told to speak life. Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. I would say that cursing fits under all of the above, but if you disagree have you ever just sat and listened to someone curse? Cursing is not cute, it doesn’t sound pleasant and I’m certain that you may get your point across without curse words.

When we wear little clothing (too short, too tight or too low) what image are we sending off? Who and what are we attracting? 1 Timothy 2:9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control… We must remember that men are very visual, when they see something it can cause them to see or think something else. As a man strengthens his walk with God this clothing becomes unpleasant, it shows him that we don’t care to save the sight of our body for marriage. That’s not being modest. Don’t we want a good Christian man? Aside from that, going back to 1 John 2:10 if we are wearing clothing that reveals too much we may cause someone else to stumble, and as Christians we aren’t to do that. Matthew 5:28 but I say into you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her I'm his heart already.

When we Gossip we are not walking in love, we hurt people and lose the trust of others. I just encourage you not to do it!  Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.Proverbs 16:2 8 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

I had no intentions of writing a blog today, this started as a simple instagram post but as I was typing I felt lead to type more and now it has turned into an entire blog. This was a lesson for me because some things we do we don’t even know why we are doing them, or do knowing it’s wrong but aren’t sure why we should stop. When someone would ask me why I stopped doing some of the things I used to do or what was my outlook on certain things my response was always “If it’s not pleasing to God why do it” I would of course say a little more but that was my go to answer. As I learned more, more was revealed to me on how to better respond to these things. Once we gain knowledge we are responsible for that information. I pray that God continues to convict us, that we may grow to be more like Christ.

I love you so much, thank you for your continued support!

"Adam"

I say that I am waiting for God to send me a good man, yet I still look to the men who are empty to fill the role of “My Adam” not trusting that God will be faithful in this area as he continues to show himself faithful in every other area. Thinking that if I see one simple characteristic that aligns with that of what I wanted in a man the rest will follow if we are willing to work together; telling myself that if he likes me a little then he can one day learn to love me. Justifying the fact that we are all broken and all need work so I become open and willing to help him fix his problems. Listening to all of the sweet nothings he tells me to keep me near.

How in the world can I expect a man who is empty to lead me in my walk with Christ? If I truly desire to live in a way that is pleasing to God I must not be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). This scripture says unbelievers yes, but I believe that people who believe differently than you do is included; or those who believe in God but haven’t yet decided that they want to fully live in a way that is pleasing to him. If someone has not fully committed to Christ it is easy for them to backslide. If they are living a lukewarm lifestyle they can pull you away from what you know is right, pull you away from the standards you have set for yourself. We must remember to guard our heart (proverbs 4:23).

Guarding your heart doesn't change just because you are dealing with a Christian someone who has decided to fully live for God. We may see a man of God who is living right, looking good and has great conversation but these things do not mean that he is “our” man of God. There are plenty of good men, plenty of Godly men on earth that seem like they would be good for you. We live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Just because it seems perfect to us right now doesn't mean it really is, we don’t know God’s complete plan for our life. Your man, your “Adam” will pursue you, you do not need to pursue or chase him.

With that being said let me make this very clear ladies, we should not chase after a man EVER. Men know what they want and they go after it, men are to lead in the relationship. If a man truly see’s himself in a relationship with you, if he has a peace from God about you he will make his move. You don’t have to go out of your way to make him notice you. If you are his he will notice you, this doesn’t mean walk around not taking care of yourself, not presenting yourself in a way that is clean and put together. Take care of yourself for you, carry yourself in a way that demonstrates your love for yourself, that is both flattering and modest demonstrating your appreciation for what God has created.

Become at peace with yourself. Learn to love God completely, with all that you have, submitting to him fully and trust him to fulfill your desire to meet your “Adam” and get married. We know that we must trust him with every area of our life and though difficult at times we still manage to give it over to God completely. We must also do this with relationships though we get lonely sometimes we must trust that he is our comforter. God will teach us and grow us in every area of our life that will help us to submit to our husbands and love him but we must first fully submit to Christ and learn his definition of love.

Ephesians 5:22; 1 Corinthians 13; Genesis 2:18-24; 1 John 4:7-8 ; Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:11; Proverbs 3:5-6