Enough...

Yesterday I was reading Psalms 18, and I realized I had some misconceptions about God, and about myself.

God is not a bully, He's not some big bad guy in the sky, He's not like your dad, or brother, or uncle (or like anyone else in your life for that matter.)

He is:

• Our strength when we are weak: "I will love You, O Lord, my Strength..."
• Our rock, the only One Who is steady and reliable: "The Lord is my Rock..."
• Our fortress, the One we run to when we need to hide, to be safe: "And my Fortress..."
• Our deliverer, when we are desperate for help and surrounded: "And my Deliverer..."
• Our shield, He takes the brunt of the blow so we don't have to: "My God...my Shield..."
• Our salvation, He sacrificed Himself so we live eternally with Him: "The horn of my Salvation..."
• Our stronghold, just like our fortress, we can run to Him for safety: "My Stronghold..."
• Our support, we get to lean on him, and He is faithful to have our backs, to support us, to lift us up: "The Lord was my Support..." 

I am amazed that He would be all that, for me.

He even goes beyond all that, He's so much more. But what I find to be amazing...or crazy, is that He delights in us! How can this be? "He delivered me because He delighted in Me..."

When I reached that particular verse...I was so humbled. My initial reaction was one of pure joy! And then the thought occurred to me to examine myself to see what could delight Him so. My smile was quickly turned upside down. Although I take pride that almost every person I know likes me and thinks I'm a good person (and I shouldn't be prideful, I'm working on that)...it hit me that HE is the only One who can see my heart.

And wow. What a hit that was. I examined my heart, and found there was nothing worth delighting in. 

I think...all this time, I've almost been trying to earn my salvation through good works to others, by trying so hard to stay controlled in every situation, to always be kind. But I realized, that it doesn't matter if I had ALWAYS treated everyone else absolutely perfectly, I was still a sinner and unworthy of salvation. God cares about my heart, and my heart still sins against Him. This just impressed upon me even more, the importance of what Christ's death on the cross did for me. My sins (past, present, and future), have been washed away by the blood of the Lamb. When God looks at me, He sees Christ, now that is something to be delighted in.

He Will Always Take Care of Us

Encouragement

Just a little something to help you (and I!) through the day!

Success

Success.

Everyone wants to be successful...but what is success?

Success is accomplishing ones goals.

What are your goals? Moving up at work? Being rich? Getting married? Having kids? Buying a house? Starting a business?

Is it wrong to desire such things? I don't think so. But should we make them our source of happiness and completion in life? Definitely not.

So if you don't feel successful...then you're focusing on the wrong thing, and perhaps you need to reevaluate what your goals are. 

Perhaps your goals are completely selfless, and you're frustrated because you just want to help people...now!

Then do it!

It may not be exactly how you want it to be, or who, or where, or when...but you CAN make a difference today. Still hold fast to your dreams and ambitions, but don't lose sight of today for tomorrow...or you may miss your opportunity.

It's as simple as a smile.

An encouraging word to a sad stranger.

A "thank you" to your barista.

Listening to someone's concern, and praying for them.

Or simply making someone laugh on a bad day (aka - Monday lol).

So don't give up. Keep pressing forward. Continue to seek the Lord in prayer. Keep smiling. Keep laughing. Keep hoping.

And I know this phrase is overused...but sometimes the only Bible someone sees is your life. Be a good reflection of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

I pray the Lord will bless you, keep you, and make His face to shine upon you.

XOXOXO,

Random fact #17- The most money ever paid for a cow in an auction is 1.3 million dollars!

Witnessing to Friends

When you meet someone who's not a Christian, your first thought is to witness to them so they can have the same hope as we do!

That's not always the best thing to do. 

When cultivating a new friendship with an unbeliever...

 You need to befriend them for the right reasons. Don't just be their friend so you can convert them, be their friend because you want to be friends with them, because you can relate with them, you find them to be a fun and interesting person!

People can tell when you have other motives for the friendship. Although wanting someone to go to Heaven is certainly good, you need to go about things the right way.

Pointing fingers at their religion or lifestyle is not a good way to win them over. 

If someone wanted to convert YOU and started poking holes in YOUR religion, how would that make you feel??? Would you want to listen to that person who is ripping apart that which is dearest to you? Or would you think more like this: that guy/girl is such a jerk. NO WAY would I want any part in anything he/she is involved in.

Instead of poking holes in their beliefs, how about pointing out how amazing your relationship with God is? After all, that IS the point you're trying to get across...right?

Also the Bible says to give an "answer for the hope that is within you..." (1 Peter 3:15). What comes before an answer? You got it, a question. Good deduction Sherlock. So...people should be asking us about our faith. Why would they do that? Because if we truly have salvation, and we love the Lord, we should be jumping up and down with happiness every day! We should be the most loving people on earth! If you saw someone acting so happy and loving and crazy, you'd probably ask them what's up too!

Before bringing up God, pray about it. 

Perhaps now isn't the right timing. God will let you know, you'll feel an uneasiness, or a peace in your heart. And if  you have a hard time telling whether it's you, or God saying "no" or "go," ask Him to bring up the opportunity to share: "God, if you want me to talk about you, have them bring it up, because I don't know if I should, and I don't know how to start this conversation!" 

That's all He wants, is a willing heart. You don't have to know all the answers, you just have to trust Him.

What I'm trying to say is that there's no "A,B&C" way to witness to people, but I think these are some pretty basic steps to at least avoid ruining that friendship! 

So...go make some new friends, be happy, and most importantly pray!

XOXOXO,

Random fact #16- Montpelier, Vermont, is the only state capital without a McDonalds......I'll bet the people there are so skinny! 

Feel free to share your thoughts on the subject in the comment box below, feedback is alwayyys appreciated! :)

Don't Give In

It's so tempting...

...to give into the lies when you're hurting, angry, afraid, depressed, or all of these at once.

Don't do it!! I understand, the heartache, feeling like...you're lost. Feeling useless.

These are lies, and you know it! If you have a hard time recognizing the lies, you need to spend more time with The Lord. Dig into the Bible, you will find that the King of kings says you are precious to Him, and He loves you oh so much, more than any mortal man can ever comprehend!

Here is truth: you are beautiful and kind, you are strong. You are important, you are loved. You will get through this. 

After you've spent some time with Him, go do things that you enjoy! Hang out with friends and family! Laugh again, laughter is the best medicine!

Alright, now that you've got a few ideas to get you out of your slump, here are a few verses to lift you up before I go:

"Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious."

~ 1 Peter 2:4

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid!"

~ John 14:27

"Let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

~ Zephaniah 3:17

Go in peace and love, knowing you are important, and you make an impact on the people around you! 

XOXOXO,

Random fact #15- In 1567, the man said to have the longest beard in the world, died after he tripped over his beard, running away from a fire!

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below! :)

Pressure. Pressure. Pressure.

Life is full of pressure and stress. That's just life, and you can't get around it.

But why do people feel the need to put unnecessary pressure on you about the stupidest things!!!

I mean...they pressure you about this event, that event, going to the latest movie, going out to eat constantly, having to ALWAYS be available through text or calling, or continually asking why you can't do this or that.

Sometimes, you need to stay home and relax.

Ever heard of such a thing? Believe it or not, it used to be a normal part of life.

Let's get back to that. 

Next time you ask a friend or family member to do something, if they say they can't, say "ok, next time!" No pressure. No guilt. Believe me, if you do this, the friends you have now, will stay your friends! 

Ok, end of rant! 

XOXOXO,

Random fact #14- Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance!

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