The Battle

As much as I'd like to say that I always have a constant prayer routine and pray everyday.. I can't. There have been days that I have dropped the ball and haven't made time for it. I'm convicted of it and constantly ask the Lord to help me to be in prayer everyday.
 Recently though, there have been several situations that need a lot of prayer, driving me to pray everyday. I also have been searching scripture for verses about prayer. Ephesians 6:12 has always served as a reminder to me, to remember who the real enemy is and who I'm fighting against. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." However, this week I started getting discouraged as I read that verse. Even though I know that God is more powerful than any principality or power, I wasn't seeing any change in what I was praying for and I felt defeated.
Until God caused me to run across this verse in Colossians. Colossians 2:15 says "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." It so encouraged me to read, and realize that the principalities and powers we wrestle against are already defeated! The Lord reminded me of what I already knew, but He reinforced it in my mind. Don't forget that the battle we are in is very real and the struggle is constant, but also don't forget that battle is already won by Jesus, and we serve a Victorious King!

Hey

"Hey"

"Hey, whatcha gonna do when the lord comes back for His chosen few?
Hey, what's He gonna find?
Will your heart be ready, or filled with gloom?
Are you gonna be ready? Cause it's gonna be soon.
Can you see the clock how it ticks away?
In the blink of an eye it's the judgment day;
There's a great reward or it's time to pay.
Better make up your mind, He could be on His way!
Hey, whatcha gonna do when the lord comes back for His chosen few?
Hey, what's He gonna find?

Will your heart be ready, or filled with gloom?
Are you gonna be ready? Cause it's gonna be soon.
From the book of life will your name be read?
Will your soul be happy or your heart feel dread?
There's the straight and narrow or a path of sin
Well your time's runnin out,
So I'll ask you again....."

Where will you be when the Lord returns? Confused and filled with agony because you weren't ready? Or caught up in the clouds with Him? 

 "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."
 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

Know Your Direction, not Destination

"Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established." Proverbs 4:26

I heard a preacher once say, "You don't need to know the destination of God's will, as long as you know the direction he wants you to go".
I've thought of that often since then. How often have you prayed "Lord show me Your Will" ? I have many times. However, now that I look back, I am beginning to see where in some cases, the Lord didn't want me to know his Will at first. He showed me which path to take, which direction to go, and asked me to simply be obedient so HE could show me the end result. Sometimes it's hard to discern God's Will. However, if you keep walking in the right direction, He will guide you.
Take it as a test, and learn to be faithful even in uncertainty.
  
"In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death." Proverbs 12:28
 
"For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
And He ponders all his paths." Proverbs 5:21

As Long as You Are Glorified

As Long as You Are Glorified
Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings
Yet not welcome any pain?
Shall I thank You for days of sunshine
Yet grumble in days of rain?
Shall I love You in times of plenty
Then leave You in days of drought?
Shall I trust when I reap a harvest
But when winter winds blow, then doubt?

Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified

Are You good only when I prosper
And true only when I’m filled?
Are You King only when I’m carefree
And God only when I’m well?
You are good when I’m poor and needy
You are true when I’m parched and dry
You still reign in the deepest valley
You’re still God in the darkest night

 Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified

When God Moves

Ever have a burden for someone so strong, so heavy, you couldn't help but cry to God continually for that person? Ever prayed so hard, so long, you were tempted to give up? Ever wonder why God doesn't work immediately or just make everything alright the instant you ask?

If you do, well, you are in the same boat with the rest of us.
However, all the tears, late nights, and long prayers are so so worth it when you see God move!
Keep praying! Maybe God is using this situation to teach a character quality to you or help you grow in some area. Always keep in mind that He is working on the big picture, even when you can't see it.

Recently, God answered a tremendous prayer request I had. I had been praying for someone for over a year, and the Lord answered exceedingly and abundantly more than I could have ever imagined! I am so thrilled and overjoyed to see the transforming power of my Lord. If it had been up to me, I would have tried to fix the problem immediately, and ruined the perfect plan God already had in store. God has already used this person to influence another person to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. HE is truly worthy of honor, glory and praise!  “The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation!" (2 Samuel 22:47) 

But what about the times he says...."no"? I have also been praying for someone to get accepted for a certain job for a long time. I prayed hard. And the answer came this week. It was no. Why?? I have no way to understand or to know. 
But I can trust. And, I can still praise Him. Even when my human flesh screams for an answer to my questions. Even when I cannot even remotely understand. The Lord is faithful. He has a plan.  
“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments." (Deuteronomy 7:9)

Praise Jesus that HE is in charge and knows what the future holds.

Follow Your Heart?

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

The term "follow your heart" is thrown around so loosely these days. Even the motto for the popular girls doll American Girl is "Follow your inner star". But should we really just follow our heart? Jesus talks about the heart frequently throughout scripture. Each time He seems to remind us of one thing: our heart is wicked. Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness [lies], blasphemies." Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it?" With these descriptions of our heart, it sounds like we should be extremely careful NOT to follow our hearts. Following your heart can and most often will lead us where we didn't plan to go, keep us there longer than we want to stay, and cost us a whole lot more than we want to pay. The verse in Proverbs says to "keep our heart with all diligence". Even though it may be easier to follow our hearts now than to seek God's will, in the long run we will be very thankful if we choose to walk in His will and not our own. The saying "You Only Live Once" or "YOLO" is taken too lightly. Yes, you only live once, so please don't waste the precious time the Lord has given you chasing after the world's passing pleasures.

                                                                                           

Psalm 34

I love Psalm 34! The Lord has used it to comfort me so many times. Especially on those nights I feel like my prayers aren't being heard. Then I turn to this chapter, and read the wonderful truths written there. The Lord does hear when the righteous cry out! He might not answer immediately, but He will always answer. Sometimes I think that maybe He doesn't answer immediately so I will continue to seek Him, and realize my desperation and hopelessness apart from Him. 

My favorite part of this chapter is verses 15-20, but I love the whole chapter.

Psalm 34

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
³ Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
⁶ This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
¹⁰ The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

¹¹ Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹² Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
¹³ Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴ Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
¹⁶ The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰ He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.
²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
²² The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

Combatting Jealousy

"Do not let thine heart envy sinners, but be zealous in fear of the LORD all the day...hear my son and be wise; and guide thine heart in the way."

                      Proverbs 23:17 & 19

For a split second you entertain the thought of missing out... Are you really doing the right thing? Then jealousy shows up. You wonder how you even got to this point! How could you think something so ridiculous?! The war rages in your head as you try to combat the fear and jealousy that seemingly came from nowhere. Then suddenly, there is a voice that whispers "You are such a hypocrite!". At this point you are ready to cry. Am I really a hypocrite?

The definition of hypocrite is: "A person who claims to have certain beliefs, but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs". There is a difference between being a hypocrite and battling the jealousy that arises. If we profess to be counter-cultural in the dating area, and then act against what we say, that is hypocrisy. However, if we are battling jealousy and trying to overcome it with truth - that is totally different. Sometimes it's easy to let jealousy creep up in us. Maybe we have a friend who went on a date, or maybe we have noticed a guy and we are jealous of the attention he is giving other girls. Whatever the case, jealousy is a problem. If we let it take the reigns, we will be tempted to do something we will regret. The verse above tells us not to envy sinners. I'm not saying dating is a direct sin. What I am saying though, is for us as young ladies who have been convicted and called to something higher, not following what God has shown us would be sin. (To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. John 5:17) When we are tempted to feel left out or envious of others, we should stop and think about what we are missing out on. When you put it in perspective, remember by "missing out" we will experience the joy of knowing we saved a pure, un-defiled heart for our future husband! This verse says to be "zealous in the fear of the Lord". We should be praying and delighting in the Lord. Use the springboard method! Every time you start to entertain thoughts of jealousy, pray or quote a piece of scripture. Pray for the girls you know who are compromising their purity. Thank Jesus that He has opened your eyes and called you to be counter-cultural. It won't be easy - fighting the flesh never is. I have to constantly pray and ask the Lord to strengthen me. I do know that we will never regret waiting. "Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." Philippians 2:16

Take time to praise the Lord for what he has done in your life and ask Him to help you as you continue to fight the Good Fight and guard your heart.

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:13-14

Radiant Purity

"Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a *Pure Heart*"

                        II Timothy 2:22

Flee! Run from Temptation! Wait! Guard your heart! Stay Pure!

The bible fervently reminds us over and over. Verse after verse. Yet, in spite of it, we still seem to stumble. The problem lies in the fact that we have a redeemed spirit being housed in unredeemed flesh. We are constantly battling the flesh with its lusts and desires. With that said, why would we as young ladies choose to place ourselves in a dangerous position? With the decision to date and following the world's patterns comes many stumbling blocks. We place our purity, our reputation as a Christian, and even our well-being on the line. This lifestyle seems completely in opposition to verses like II Tim. 2:22 that specifically tell us to "Flee youthful lusts!" Dating sets us up for failure. Harmless fun soon becomes tragedy. A very small amount of girls leave a dating relationship, even with the best kind of guy, without scars or enter marriage later in life without regrets. Not only with physical purity, but emotional purity as well. Hearts can be given away through emotions, often prematurely. Breaking up is especially painful, and it tears at the heart and emotions of so many young ladies. As for me, I believe the Lord has called me to "come out from among them and be separate, do not touch what is unclean" (II Corinthians 6:17) I'm placing my hopes and dreams of a future spouse into His hands. The same hands that created the world and bled for me. I know I can trust in Him to bring me and my husband together in His perfect timing and in His perfect way. I am content to wait, with His help, to guard my heart, shine radiantly to a lost world, and save my purity for that one man He created especially for me. "...nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have trusted and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day"                                             II Timothy 1:12