let your heart go.

"The warrior must learn to yield his heart to nothing. Not to kill his heart for fear of falling into temptation, but to protect his heart for nobler things, to keep the integrity of his heart as a great reservoir of passionate strength and holy desire."

-John Eldredge in Fathered by God

Women, replace "him" with "her". We can't be afraid to give our hearts away for fear of being hurt. If we keep our heart for ourselves not only will we never experience love in the earthly sense, we will never experience the vast love God has for us and the depth of His love when we fully trust Him.

I'm there now, and as scary as it is to admit to having feelings for someone, if I don't because I'm afraid of being hurt I know I won't ever understand God's love for me. I know how difficult this is-- trust me. But I know when my heart is about to break, I'll look up to see God's smile, filled with joy and excitement that I'm gonna trust Him and let His love be enough.

I've never understood the truth to this as much as I do now, but God really and truly does have PERFECT & PRECISE timing. Let go of your heart. Let your heart feel. Let your heart ache and let your heart beat rapidly. But don't forget to look up. When we trust Him, His love carries us.

New Years Resolution! ... In November?

I know "New Years Resolutions" technically start on the first day of January, but I'm gonna have to make an exception because I'm extremely excited about mine!

I realize the difficulty of my "New Years Resolution," and I realize that it is impossible to be perfect at, but it is what God has laid on my heart, and I am super pumped about it.

Throughout the year of 2011 I am going to focus on being joyful. I'm going to learn how to be joyful in every season of life. My prerogative? How will people know I'm different, how will people know I have the answer if my life doesn't reflect the love, joy, peace, mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm gonna be honest, I'm sick-and-tired of being normal, of fitting into the crowd, of being just like everyone else. I'm not like everyone else--and I don't mean my strangely-spunky, outgoing, crazy personality, obviously. I mean if I can be joyful in the times of tears, frustration, anger, heartache, loss and pain, I feel like the people God has put in my life for me to reach will actually SEE, literally, a difference in me. I'm going to aim to be PECULIAR in 2011.

First of all, before I dig into the depth of this concept, which by the way I am super excited about because God revealed it to me in the most perfect moment, I need to ask for accountability from everyone i know/that knows me. I have a problem.. it's a minor, but rather odd issue to have. You see, I pick the mascara off of my eyelashes like it's my job! I have absolutely no idea why, and I have no idea where this strange and terrible habit came from. But it is mine, and it continually annoys me, but I don't stop! It's so wierd. If you haven't seen me do this, then we don't hang out enough, or maybe I'm subconsciously trying to impress you? Who knows, i doubt that's the case but it could be. But anyway-- here's the deal! I went to the "Bodies" exhibit in San Antonio, TX (also known as my favorite state) this past August and one of the few-i mean very few- things I remember from the exhibit is that eyelashes only last for 150 days! Wierd, eh? Well this is my second, and less important but still important, "New Years Resolution". Starting January 1, I will not, and cannot pick my mascara off of my eyelashes for 150 days! (This "fast" will be ending promptly on May 30, 2011 @ 12:00 midnight! Hopefully I will quit for good during this "fast", and rid myself of this horrid habit! At least, that IS the goal!) And I need everyone to help me stop now! (Haha, this sounds so dramatic!) So if you see my fingers on my eyelashes or black specks under my eyes, yell at me, please! I welcome the criticism!

But back to what really matters! I'm going tell you extensively how the Lord laid this on my heart through scripture. I'm going to use different scriptures throughout the Bible to "prove" or back-up other scriptures. But first! Lord, I pray that my chicken scratch, and my notes, and this blog that is complete non-sense, through your Holy Spirit will be eloquently stated, and beautifully accentuated by your Spirit in the heart of my beloved friend who is reading this. It is only by Your grace Father, that my disconnected-thoughts can be useful in bringing your child guidance, understanding and peace today. Amen.

"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

2 Corinthians 3:3 NIV

Wow! This verse surprised me! The Lord uses us, His children, as letters. Our stories, or lives are "written" by the Lord, the greatest author and potter the world has ever seen, and the same Creator of the universe. And our lives, as "letters", are read to the world, and our interaction with the people in our lives is the effect of our "letters" being written on their hearts. Who we are, and what makes us who we are, is daily being written on the tablets of the hearts of the people we interact with. I know that my attitude does not always reflect that of the Lord. I know that when I have a lot of important tests coming up and Christmas just around the corner, and a work party to prepare that my attitude is less than joyful which in turn effects my interactions with people and the intimacy between our connection.

"I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free."

Psalms 119:32

In the seasons of life that involve the stress of tests, homework, work, relationships and holidays we CAN and NEED to cling to the Lord. We can run to Him and seek rest and refuge in His commands--in His Word. Peace and comfort are dealt our way because of the vast love the Lord has for us. A love that we cannot hinder. There is nothing we can do to lessen the immensity of the love God has for us.

"As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times, that fall unexpectedly upon them."

Ecclesiastes 9:12

The Lord did not promise us an easy, always positive and happy life. Jesus, a perfect and blameless human being, had sufferings. He never sinned and could not have pleased His Father, our Father, anymore, yet Jesus too was persecuted, mocked and beaten to death. But we know that the Lord promised us a way out, which ultimately was bought for us by the blood of Jesus, of the trials in 2 Peter 1:3-5. Why are we so surprised? Why can't we learn to take each season of life with joy. If for no other reason to be a light or a fog horn to the people around us.

"But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be over-joyed when His glory is revealed."

1 Peter 4:13

We are called to be joyful in our suffering! We are called to see what is beyond the pain of the cross, the beauty and love that lies there waiting, encouraging us!

"Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves with the same attitude..."

1 Peter 4:1

Lord let this be our prayer today! That we can take suffering joyfully with the attitude Your son had at the cross. With complete humility and love, thinking only of being obedient to the Lord our God and His overwhelming love for His children.

I had a surreal experience with this, this past Saturday night. It was actually only an hour or two after the Lord revealed this "New Years Resolution" to me. I was at my Uncle Tim's house for Stuc's after the guys has their "smoker" in downtown Appleton. Oh, and just to preface, during this whole vacation I cannot explain to you how many times I was asked who my boyfriend is, or who I'm dating by person after person, only for me to reply, "no one Uncle Glenn, I promise, you will be the third to meet him right after Dad and Nate." I found it quite comical actually. But anyway, back at Uncle Tim's. I was sitting with a couple of my aunts and mother and somehow the topic of my (non-existent)relationship came back up, again. But with a bunch of women around I think I shared a bit more of my frustration in the area, but ultimately expressed that I truly believe the Lord has a beautiful and crazy love story for me. I have no idea when it's going to happen, but I do know that someday it will and I daily have to surrender my emotions to Him in order to fully trust His plan in that area of my life. The topic changed and nothing out of the ordinary happened in our friendly banter throughout the rest of the night. However, the next morning, I got a call from my Aunt Molly who was going to come shopping with us PJH/NPH women. But as I was talking to her she said to me, "Whitney, I want you to know how refreshing it is to be around you. And I want you to know how much you inspire me." I don't think I've ever received such a compliment. But more so I don't think I've ever realized the depth of what the Lord can do when we really are transparent, and when we give up our right to have our 'picture-perfect-plan' and we trust Him fully!

I was watching Letters to God the other day, it's a new Christian film, and I was on the edge of my seat and on the verge of tears the whole movie! ... Until about half way in when I couldn't take it anymore and i sobbed like a baby for the rest of the movie. Letters to God is about an 8-year-old boy, Tyler, who was diagnosed with a severe type of brain cancer. The movie starts as he just finished an intense round of radiation and is hoping to go to school today. But Tyler obviously isn't an ordinary kid, nor an ordinary dying-cancer patient. He writes letters to God everyday, if not more than once a day, which is how he prays. But instead of stashing the letters somewhere in a big chest, he mails them-literally. And every time, the envelope with a single forty-four cent stamp says "To: God" "From" Tyler." Later in the movie we, as an audience, realize the letters were his letters to God, yes, but he hoped the letters fell in the hands of the person whom God knew desperately needed to hear what he was praying for that day-- whomever that may be. The plot line continues about how he goes back to school and how this little boy had the strongest faith, he loved the Lord with everything inside of Him and had complete faith in Him.

As the movie journeys with Tyler I saw the depth of his faith, as an 8-year-old, dying child. But most importantly the joy in Tyler's heart, and the joy he showed to everyone around him was what blessed other people. And the joy and love he showed was what encouraged the people God placed in His life for him to minister to, and the peace he had was what comforted those who loved Tyler the most. As cheesy as this sounds, I couldn't stop crying because this movie was confirmation of what the Lord had been showing me recently. How the Lord had been prodding me to change my attitude into the attitude that Christ had when He was suffering, 1 Peter 4:1.

And I'm going to be completely honest with you, you being whomever is reading this, I've been fasting tv/movies for the entire month of November. "Well wait," your mind questions, "but you said you just watched this movie recently?" That is 100% correct. Over Thanksgiving break I was home and my Mom was kinda sad because I had been studying for four or five hours and she wanted to hang out with me and spend time with me, which is normal of parents and their college aged children that they don't get to see very often. So I stopped studying for a bit to talk with her and just hang out for a couple minutes before hitting the books hard, again. Well for some reason I couldn't peel myself away from my Mom and as she asked me if I would watch the first 10 minutes with her I had a really hard time saying no. So I didn't. Does that mean I broke that portion of my fast, I would say technically yes, and Ecclesiastes 5:5 is pretty blunt about not fulfilling vows we make to the Lord, but I do ultimately believe we serve a just God. So anyway, amidst my disobedience of my own vow to the Lord, he used this corny, cheesy movie(one might even consider it a sin, in the midst of abstinence from 'XYZ') to confirm his voice in my life.

Pretty cool, huh? In the midst of my disobedience the Lord used my disobedience/sin to confirm his place in my life. I thought that was so amazing, and it just really proves how loving our Abba, Father, God is.

"... the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:5-7

When I learned this verse in kids church when I was maybe 9, It started at "Do not be anxious..." and ended with "...present your requests to God." In all honesty, I think I missed the most important part. I love that before the Apostle Paul asks and pleads with us to bring our desires and anxieties before the Lord he says, "The Lord is near." Just in case we forgot, which I know I do. "The Lord is near." It sends shivers through my spine that the creator of Heaven and Earth is near, to me. And what happens when we do submit our anxieties to the Lord? "A peace will guard your heart and your mind." How powerful! I don't even have the right to worry or be anxious in times of suffering. I don't have the right to be anything but joyful, because when I submit my anxieties to Him, He gives my heart and my mind a peace which transcends all understanding.

we are marked with His image

but we are scarred with indifference

maybe now we should listen

to hear the cry of God's children

"Human" by Natalie Grant

:)

1 Timothy 1:12

giving! Thanks

Well it's Thanksgiving day and I'm about to tell you everything, everything I can think of that is, on this Thursday, the 25th of November also known as the day of Thanks, that I am thankful for. But I'm not just thanking anywho or anyone. I'm thanking our God who has given me everything I am thankful for!

I'm thankful for...

* My faith. In all honesty, I don't know where I would be without my faith, without believing that out there is someone who loves me and gave His only son to live a scorned life for me. I'm so deeply in love with this God who takes care of my heartache and revels in my success. I desperately seek to show Him the slightest bit of appreciation through glorifying Him with my life, with my entire being, with my motives, words and actions. And without that purpose and that expectation my life would be meaningless and aimless.

* My heavenly-father. The only One who shows us perfect love. Love that never fails, no matter how many times we reject, disobey, turn-away-from or deny Him, His love for me never withers. I daily remind myself that I can do nothing to make my Father in Heaven love me less. I'm so unworthy of the love He shows, the grace, the mercy, the kindness He shows to me, but He won't ever stop, no matter what I do. I'm so thankful for You Lord!

* My loving mother. She is so compassionate, caring and kind that it's impossible to try to live up to her. But forever I will try, because she is the greatest mother, wife, friend and "Mimi" any of us could have asked for.

* My devoted father. The biggest Christian role model in my life. He has always helped me check my motives to see if the Lord is there, and he always will.

* My protective brother. We've been through thick and thin, hell and back together, and it all brought us to this point today, I miss him the moment I leave Appleton, and anxiously await coming back to see him/his visits. He always looks out for me, and is so appreciative.

*My spunky sister. She's always trying to bring out the fun, and my best friend growing up who let me follow her around and even today graciously allows me to walk in her footsteps, in the rest of her own experiences.

*My beautiful sister-in-law. I've only known her for 18 months, but her heart of gold is so attractive, she loves her children and her husband with her whole heart and would break her back to serve them.

*My smart brother-in-law. The perfect man for my sister's crazy heart, and an extremely handsome soul to seek after the Lord who will stop for nothing less. His obedience to the Lord is uncanny.

*My suffering. Ohh how much the Lord has taught me, and how much the Lord has grown me through tears of frustration, heart-ache and everything in between. 1 Chorinthians 12:9 has been the cry of my heart. As hard as it is, I pray the Lord continually trusts me with these trials and tribulations because His faith in me to pursue Him through the pain is continually growing.

* My best friend: She's my biggest answer to prayer. 2.5 years I prayed and prayed for the Lord to bless me with a woman of God who together we can grow and help each other be strong. She's the qwerkiest, craziest woman i know and her heart continually surprises me.

* FOOTBALL!! I'm gonna be honest, I thank the Lord for the Packers! And the sport in general, not only is it great to watch and keep track of, but it's something I love doing with my dad and my brother. Mmm... Superbowl :)

* My home. I take for granted this town of Appleton where I call home. A place I can run to when I'm overwhelmed. A place that holds memories, good and bad, but none the less a place of comfort.

* Clothing. Oh my word am I thankful for the ability to go shopping, and the ability to have expensive taste, and for my extensive wardrobe. I am so blessed in this area.

* I have absolutely everything i need and way more than i need in respect to accessories, technology, clothing, furniture, beauty supplies, everything. And everything in excess!!!!

* Extended family. I'm so thankful for my extended family, those who know the Lord personally and those that don't, all are people who love me and believe in me and my abilities, who are constantly building me up, and supporting me in my adventures.

*Great roommates. Roommates who help me study, keep me on track, and love to have dance parties! Who look after me and care for me and my well-being, and who put up with my annoying alarm clock!

* Difficult courses. I'm thankful for the difficult courses I'm taking and will be taking, the ones that I struggle through, but teach me discipline and prioritizing.

* ANSWERED PRAYERS. I'm so thankful that I believe in miraculous Christianity, that the Lord didn't just answer prayers "back-then" but to this day, and everyday of my life, answers even the smallest of prayers.

* Board games!

* Grey's Anatomy. I'm soo thankful for good television, and great movies to entertain my stimulated mind!

* Christian friends! The people that hold me accountable, and the people that subconsciously push me to be better, the people that want me around, the people that are ready to have fun or ready to dig deep into conversation.

* Second chances. I'm so thankful that the Lord gives us second chances on a daily basis, on an hourly basis, because we lose sight of Him so easily.

* The JOY of READING! Can't believe the Lord answered that prayer I must have prayed for literally 10 years, I love reading! And i think the Lord for that passtime, and for making me love and enjoy reading! [Maybe one of my top 10 answered prayers thus far!]

* The Bible! I can't believe it's this far down on the list! I don't go anywhere without my Bible, I thank the Lord for my love of His Word, and my love of hearing from Him and seeking Him in His Word.

This is merely the beginning.

Why the tears, Lord?

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven."

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Do you ever remember hearing that verse before? If you're anything like me, you've been taught this song since day one, and they even made a song JUST so we would remember! "There is a season, turn, turn, turn, and a time to every purpose under heaven..." you know how it goes! So if it's really true, if there is a time for every season of life, if there is 'a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,' why is it so hard for us to "survive" the times to tear down, to remend, to mourn? If this sunday school song was so easy for us to remember the tune, why is it so difficult for us to see the Lord in these more difficult times? Why are we so quick to blame the Lord for putting us in spiritual warfare, and blame Him for our loss, and walk away from Him when we are hurt?

Have you realized that? In times of pain, suffering and trials, we are so quick to run from the Lord until we're through that 'season'. But whilst we are among the tears we plead with God for a miracle, for healing we beg Him to take away the sorrows.

I am no different than anyone else, I have rough times in life as well. Times where i plead with God for answers--and now would happen to be one of those times. It seems like everything in my life is open-ended, my direction and motivation are lacking, where i used to see the Lord put footsteps leading me, they've seemed to fade. And the Lord is continually showing me places in my life where I am lacking Him and showing me my faults, and the things I need to work on. Our first judgement as 'mature' Christians in these times is that we've lost sight of God, or we've temporarily forgotten about Him; but my lack of direction and answers is not because I've forgotten Him lately. I love my devotions, my quiet time, and talking to the Lord on a daily basis, and a day without it seems to be so unimportant. So why is it that we have these times of doubt and frustration?

"I cried out to God for help,

I cried out to God to hear me.

When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;

at night I stretched out untiring hands

and my soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;

I mused, and my spirit grew faint.

Selah"

Psalms 77:1-3

*by the way Selah comes from the Hebrew root word (calah) meaning 'measure'. So in the bible and in the Psalms especially it is there to signal the believer to 'measure' carefully the meaning of what has been said.

I lay in bed on a nightly basis and my thoughts flood my mind. Anyone else the same way? More so than usual this has been the case lately, and I lay there and I lay awake unable to be comforted by the Lord because I keep pushing the Comforter away so that I can dwell on my issues. But when I come around and remember the Name of the Lord--Comforter. I feel as if my Comforter has left, as if His grace and mercy have left me.

"Will the Lord reject forever?

Will He never show His favor again?

Has His unfailing love vanished forever?

Has His promise failed for all time?

Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has He in anger withheld His compassion?

Selah"

Psalms 77:7-9

But has He really? What is keeping us from remembering Him?

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, i will remember Your miracles of long ago.

I will meditate on all Your works

and consider all Your mighty deeds."

Psalms 77:11-12

When our hearts will not be comforted when the Lord feels so far away, when we think He has left us and we wonder if His mercy will ever return to us, this is where we let our mind go. Back to the times before this season, when we felt God and His presence was like a blanket over our shivering hearts and His mercies were so plentiful. In these times when our heart is so lost, we can find rest in remembering when the Lord was so near, and remembering how faithful He was and will always be! Finish this Psalm and listen as David remembers the power of the Lord and how faithful He has been.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him... Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world, caused by evil desires"

2 Peter 1:3-5

We have been equipped with the instruments to find our way through the times of sorrow, the Lord has given us the tools to "survive" it, but we have to pray and ask God to show us the way out!

suffering creates endurance,

endurance creates character &

character creates confidence.

Someone reminded me not to long ago that pain and suffering are not from the Lord, satan is the master of the evil of this World and the Lord allows us to go through trials to make us stronger, whether you believe that or not, it is the truth.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

1 Corinthians 10:13

We have to trust the Lord that there is beauty beyond the pain, that He knows what is best for us, and we have to believe He only has our best interest in mind.

"I never knew these wounds would heal my soul, I've never seen such beauty and sorrow meet. The blood of Jesus was bled for me."

"Beautiful the Blood" by Fee

:)

Colossians 2:6

... 100% Trust: The HARDEST, but most powerful SURRENDER!

Last night and today were kinda hard for me, I've been home in Appleton for three weeks now, and I'm missing Minneapolis, and all the love that comes with it more than anything. But as I sit here and selfishly struggle, I know my only way to being satisfied and happy(although such a trivial and selfish word) is remembering who is on top, who is number one, and whose "grace is sufficient for me, and whose power is made perfect in my weakness." [Reference: 2 Corinthians 12:9.] So if you don't mind I'm going to dissect the meaning and the process to wholly surrendering and trusting in the Lord in order to be obedient to His plan.

"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, ' No we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'we will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift! A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.' Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him." [Reference Isaiah 30:15-18.] "In quietness and trust is your strength." If we wait in silence to hear the Lord, to hear His plan, to feel His love. If we believe He is love, if we believe He is gracious, then we have strength. In our act of transparency He is there to protect and empower us. But so often we "flee." We think we know what is best for us, and our human nature leads us to make our own decisions and formulate our own plans. But little do we know, our decisions enlighten the enemy, they empower the enemy, and lead the enemy to us. But we can find refuge in the One who "longs to be gracious to us" the One who aches to "show us compassion" the One who is just. So if we wait for Him, if we wait on His plan, and trust in His plan we will be led by the omnipotent, loving, compassionate, just, and gracious Lord and through our trust and surrender He wants to bless.

"So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret [mysteries] of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." [1 Corinthians 4:1-2.] We who call ourselves Christians. We who call ourselves Christ-followers, lovers of the Lord, and faithful must prove the depth of our faith. We have been granted the "mysteries" of the Lord, we have been granted the promises to which we must share with all mankind. But if we call ourselves Christ-followers and stewards of His gospel we must prove to be faithful. The definition of faithful is as follows: 1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty, 2. true to one's word, promises, vows, 3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant. In order to prove ourselves faithful we must trust and believe in what we have pledged our allegiances to. We must be "thorough in the performance of duty". How cool is that? When I heard "duty" I think of the military, of people surrendering their lives for the good of the country, for a cause they believe in. Our lives as Christians, as stewards is our "duty". We need to surrender to the cause the we believe in, and take up our roles in the line of duty to prove ourselves faithful.

The fact is, having 100% trust in the Lord is extremely difficult. But when we wholly surrender to the Lord, and when we prove we are His faithful stewards[Reference: 1 Corinthians 4:1-2.], He desires to reward our surrender, our trust, and faith and empower us to be strong and courageous and continue with great hope[Reference: Isaiah 30:15-18.]

Thank you for letting me be vulnerable. Everyday we wake up and it's a whole new day of surrendering our emotions, our pain, our happiness and success. Some days it's not as easy as others, and some days it's never been more rewarding. But I can guarantee you, if you surrender to the Lord on the days where it's not easy, on the days where you want to take full control, that's where we are made strong, that's when God can empower us, and mold us into His beautiful pottery.

On the days where it's not as easy to surrender, because of struggles or our own thoughts and desires, I tend to walk downstairs and turn on my music really loud, so even the neighbors can hear, and sit on the couch and listen to the lyrics. I sit with my bible and notebook and wait for the tears. Today it was a song I'd heard dozens of times before that got me, "Jesus, Your name is power, breath, and living water; such a marvelous mystery." [Revelation Song by Kari Jobe. I sat there and wondered How can I not trust in Him? How can I not trust in the One who is power, breath and living water? How can I sit here and worry and wish I was somewhere I cannot possibly be when I am temple to the One who is power, breath and living water? That's where I was lost, that's where I found myself surrendering today.

Thank you to a God who aches to be compassionate to us.

:)

James 4:2 -- Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

It IS two-way!

Short one!

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the father will give you whatever you ask in my name."

-John 15:16

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

-John 15:7

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."

-John 15:15

"Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

-John 14:13

What do all four of these four verses have in common? "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you," and "he who abides in Me and I in him," or "you did not choose me, i chose you." We were chosen, by the Lord. [Reference: John 15:16.] And IF we hold His words in us, IF we believe and live out that which the Lord called us to, IF we follow his path, IF we believe in his plan, and IF we yearn to live a christ-like life we will be blessed in the most positive, uplifting way. The Lord wants to give us our desires, he wants to bless and enrich our lives, he wants to bring us joy and happiness, he wants to lead us to health and prosperity, all He asks of us is to make "abide in Him!" and His words to "abide in us!" all we have to do is live so that our every action will bring glory to His name. And He will bless us more than we can imagine, because when we live our lives fully for Him the desires of our heart becomes the desires the Lord has for us. Make this your prayer today! Pray that the Lord will abide in you! And pray that we will acknowledge ourselves as the temple for which He dwells!

Acts 13:15

:)

... He wants to be happy with you!

I don't know if you know this or not, but God answers prayers. News to you? Well let me expound on all the prayers he has answered for me in just the past couple weeks. First of all I have established an amazing group of Christ-following women that love and care for me. Just a few weeks ago I got a 91% on a Calculus exam. I was granted permission to start a Bible study this summer, that I am in the process of writing called Women Waiting 4Pursuit, at Pathways Church(in Appleton, WI) for high school girls. And on a daily basis the Lord is genuinely and truly saturating and quenching my thirst and hunger. And those are just naming a few of the prayers the Lord has answered for me recently. But I implore you, ask me how long I prayed for Christ-following GIRL friends before God answered my call? Two years and nine months. Ask me how long I've been praying, and studying like crazy, for good math test scores? Three months. Ask me how long I've been praying, and working towards, the Lord to be my number one, my all in all? Almost eleven years. God hears our prayers, I promise you. Do you believe me? I hope so. BUT we, as impatient human beings, need to learn to trust in the Lord's perfect and precise timing. "In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid." [Reference: Psalms 56:4.] Wow! So since we continually praise the Lord, and SAY that we hope all we do will glorify His name, we must put our trust in Him. However, it doesn't stop there. Once we trust in Him, that in HIS perfect and precise timing he will answer our call, we can NO LONGER be afraid. Try it. Give your prayers to God and STOP worrying about them. What do you possibly have to lose?

I cannot begin to express my excitement to you about tonight's Deeper at Substance Church. I walked in tonight to a prayer week at Deeper(an hour and a half service for the long-term Christ-follower dedicated to sheer prayer) and I was exhausted and maybe a little stressed with school. I walked in just wondering why I was there and not studying, but as I soon realized God had a purpose for me being there. Before worship even started one of the prayer leaders read us Psalms 100. "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His loves endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."[Reference: Psalms 100:1-5.] Oh my powerful! What a word from the Lord! So as worship started I prayed that the Lord would help me leave everything outside the door and keep the distractions to a minimum, and be sure to keep tonight's worship solely between Him and I. However, as worship started and I tried to get excited as usual I knew tonight wasn't about the lyrics of the worship songs, or screaming my heart out to praise the Lord in thankfulness. So by the second song in, I was on my knees with my head in His Word. I started looking up verses about rejoicing, I wasn't sure why, but lately I have been working on seeking the Lord in the midst of all the blessing the Lord is giving me and in the midst of all my joy. So nothing really hit me in the concordance, but then I started looking up verses on 'harvest'. And I read a verse in John 4, "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest?' I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."[Reference: John 4:35.] The context is that the disciples thought that the Lord would be hungry, but He replied to them, "no, my food, is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish his work." Wow, crazy isn't it. The Lord continually did what the Father asked of Him no matter his physical state. But that's not even the coolest part! Don't you see though, sometimes we get caught up in all the blessings the Lord is giving us, and all the prayers he is answering for us, that we forget about Him. We recognize that He is the reason for our joy, but we don't put Him first in the times of joy and gladness. And that's what it says in Psalms 100. "Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing(ESV)."[Reference: Psalms 100:2.] Not only does He want us to come to Him during our hardships, suffering, and frustration, but ALSO when we are overjoyed, and when He is working miracles in our lives! He wants us to come to Him because, "we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture."[Reference: Psalms 100:3.] We are HIS! How incredible! We have done nothing to deserve His undying and completely faithful love. How can we not go to Him when He is the one blessing us and making us so joyful? So I challenge you, when life is going great, and the Lord is continually giving you what you need, recognize Him, and spend even more time with Him. I promise you, if you make time for Him your joy won't last only a week.

Psalms 37:4 -- Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

:)

... Letting Go and Letting God...

So I've always wanted to have a place where I can put my thoughts, and be able to refer back to them besides my devotions journal, so I'm gonna try this!

It's been one of those weekends, where you have a lot to do, but simply cannot make yourself do any of it. It's also been one of those weekends where I've been on edge, simply overwhelmed by emotions and frustration, but also a lot of excitement. So since I'm not usually a girl that gets emotional or gets irrational very often, I allow myself a "girl weekend" to simply let my emotions and irritation get the best of me, and try to avoid as many people as possible. Well that didn't exactly happen this weekend. I got to spend some amazing time with my friends, as well as spend a lot more time in The Word, trying to figure out the RIGHT way to deal with these frustrations.

So today I was reading in Isaiah, starting with chapter 9. The very first verse of chapter 9, hit home! "Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress." Umm, hello! Me and my "girl weekend" are apparently getting kicked in the rear! It goes on to talk about how "[The birth of Jesus] has enlarged the nation and increased their joy." How amazing! Oh but we're not done yet, "you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor." So what this is all saying is that in the midst of all our "girl weekends", ps. guys have them too, the birth of Jesus Christ, came into these weekends or seasons of our life and increased our joy, and shattered the burdens which were oppressing us! Wow! Then it keeps going, it says, "... every garment rolled in blood[or any garment that was used in battle] will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire." Meaning everything that causes our seasons, or "weekends", of irritation, sadness, despair, or frustration will be used to fuel the fire inside of us. You know how we always wonder why God "allows" bad things to happen to us? Do you think this could be one(of the many) explanations for such a thing? We tend to see everything that is even a little painful as negative, and maybe it is, but can we recognize that maybe God is trying to help us, and teach us through such situations? And I'm sure it's not every time, but a lot of the times I feel like it is the case. [Reference: Isaiah 9:1-7.]

"Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me, may ruin overtake them by surprise--may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin. Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation." [Reference: Psalms 35:7-9.] The context of this Psalm is that David is being pursued by his enemies, by which he did nothing wrong. The pursuit is being, wrongly, led out of jealousy and anger. However, as David is one man against an entire army he is trusting and believing in the power and justification of the Lord Almighty. He is absolutely sure that he will be safe from such an impossible victory but only by The Lord Almighty. "You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and the needy from those who rob them." [Reference: Psalms 35:10.] The Lord is just. From this we NEED to know that when we are following Him, even if the world is against us, and victory seems impossible, He will not let us fall.

Going off of the same psalm, 35 that is, David continues to humble himself before his enemies, and repay their evil with good, repay their hatred and mockery with love, and although their motives are false, and their accusations are preposterous he continues to be humbled and love those who continue to persecute him. He doesn't retaliate, and prove them wrong, instead he asks the Lord to contend for him, and rise to his defense. "Vindicate me in your righteousness, Oh Lord my God." And after asking the Lord for his own reconciliation, he says, "May those who delight in my vindication shout for jay and gladness: may they always say, 'the Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.' My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long." After The Lord reconciles he still does not gloat of those who took enjoyment in his pain and suffering, instead he just praises the Lord. I am forever encouraged. This psalm hits close to my heart. I suffered through a tough high school career, and in the midst of it felt like David. I am not going to say I was completely faultless, but as I walked around as a stranger in my own high school I felt abandoned, and continually hurt by person after person. I wish my approach to such suffering was nearly as righteous as David's. I wish I could have disregarded that which i knew were fallacies, and humbled myself as David did. But I know that I did one thing as David, I turned to the Lord for help, because I had no one. If you don't believe that God will strip you of all you have to get your attention, trust me, he will. And he had to because I wouldn't listen otherwise(that's why we cannot wait to give Him our all, we have to start now). As the Lord did strip me of every friendship and everything that I thought made me happy, I learned to seek happiness and satisfaction in Him, in the ONE who will NEVER let you down. [Reference: Psalms 35:1-28]

:)

2 Corinthians 12:9