Day 6-7: Glory of God

Day 6-7
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whatever you do, do it ALL for the GLORY of God."

You are to be ALL about God! Let God's interest, God's passion, God's desires, God's goals and God's allegiances become MINE!!

"Dear God, I thank you for the birth of Your son, Jesus (what a precious gift). I come before You with a lot of things going through my head. Whatever I am thinking I give to You, so I am able to make Your passion, desires, interests, thoughts and goals become mine. I ask for the help too do it ALL for Your GLORY. You deserve sooo much glory, honor, and praise. Thank you for Your strength, comfort, protection, and blessings."

Day 5: Encourage Part 2

Day 5
Hebrew 10:24-25 "An let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching." NIV

We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things....especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer.

"Dear God, I want to thank you for what You have blessed me with. The air I breathe. The house I live in. The food I eat. The clothes I wear. The water I drink. The sight to see. The ears to hear. The legs to walk. The heart to keep me alive. The friends I have. The family I have. And ALL the other big and little things You have created. I thank you for truly blessing me with a wonderful group of friends down here in VA. They encourage me and push me daily to become closer to You. I pray that I am able to do the same for them. Thank you, Heavenly Father."

Day 3-4: Encourage

Day 3-4
Titus 1:1b "I (Paul) encourage God's own people to have more faith and to understand the truth about religion." (CEV)

Paul wrote to God's people, especially Titus here, telling him God speaks and He always does what He says. It's settled and "God promised long ago hope for eternal life and He doesn't lie." (Titus 1:2)

Psalm 103:12 → God has removed our transgressions of sin as far as the east is from the west.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 → God's grace is sufficient for us and all our needs. His power is strongest when we are weak; therefore, when I am weak, I am strong.

Jeremiah 29:11 → God knows the plans for us He will bless us will a future fill with hope, a future for us to prosper (be successful) and not harm us (no suffering).

Psalm 147:3 → God heals the brokenhearted and our bodies. And He binds up their wounds (renews our hope).

1 John 1:9 → God is faithful and just. If we confess our sins, He will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.

"Dear God, I come before You for You have done great things. You have plans for our lives, You have given me strength when I am weak, You have forgiven me when I have sinned against You, and You have healed me when I was broken. I thank you Heavenly Father and I open my heart to You. Please come into my life and take over. For it is You where I find my strength."

Day 2: Guard Your Way

Day 2
Proverbs 16:17 "The highway of the upright avoids evil; He who guards his way guards his life."

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! 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 under it."

Avoid the evil junk that will rob you of your rewards!!

"Dear God, As I know I am tempted every day to do evil things (sin). I ask You to help me recognize them and take the way of escape that is pleasing to you when I am tempted. I pray that You will give me a growing disgust for sin because it destroys us. And it places a distance between people and our friendship/relationship with You and I want to become closer and more intimate."

Day 1: Draw Near

I started a seven day jump start devotional on Life Worship and my journey with Jesus. It started out with : Many of us worship God with our songs but He calls us to worship Him with our lives; with the things we do and say--with the things we watch and listen to, with the way we treat others--He deserves more than a song, He deserves a lifesong!! Casting my life and all control to the One who created me and knows my future should be the easiest thing in the world to do, but we find that our own little kingdoms (our plans, our wants, our crowns) can become more precious to us than our friendship with God.

(I feel like God has placed me where I am at to help me dig deeper in my friendship/relationship with Him. The friends He has blessed me with have been a wonderful encouragement for me. Before I wanted the "easy" way out by fulfilling my own things (own plans, own wants, own crowns); however, life is much more than about me because what did I do to deserve to be here. I have been truly blessed with my life and everything that is in it, so why not become closer to the One who has provided me with it.)

Day 1
James 4:8 "Draw Near to God and He will draw near to you." NKJV

Prayer is spending time alone with God and communicating with Him.

Psalm 62:
•My soul rests in God alone!
•He alone is my rock and my salvation, He is my fortress!
•I will never be shaken!
•Find rest in God alone, my hope comes from Him!
•He is my mighty rock, my refuge!
•Trust in Him at all times!
•Pour out your heart to Him!
•You will reward each person according to what he has done!

--I want to KNOW God more and deeper
--Comfort → My heart has been restless lately with not sure what to feel when my thoughts are so unorganized
--Guidance → I want to follow the path God has made for me
--Strength → To keep pushing on through the good and the bad times. For He only gives us what we can handle.
--As I go to Mexico over summer, I open my heart to You to do as You wish. Mold it in a way that is pleasing to You.
--I ask to become more dependant on You and not on earthly things or other people.

1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety (cares) on Him because He cares for you."

"Dear God, Here I am. I am desire to be with You and know You more. I have things on my heart that I want to talk to You about. My heart is open to hearing what You desire to speak to me about."

Psalm 62

"1 My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3 How long will you assault a man?
Would all of you throw him down--
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 They fully intend to topple him
from his lofty place.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.

5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refudge.

9 Lowborn men are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie;
if weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
or take pride in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.

11 One thing God has spoken,
two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong,
12 and that you, O Lord, are loving.
Surely you will reward each person
according to what he has done."

Psalm 62

All I Really Want

All I Really Want by Lincoln Brewster

Lord I love the way You love me
And how You move me deep within
Lord I love the way You hold me
And draw me into You
Lord I love the way You bless me
And how You look into my heart
Lord I love the way You lead me
Right into Your arms

CHORUS:
God I praise Thee
You amaze me
Take my life
And let Your light shine through
Jesus Savior friend of sinners
Fill me up
Cuz all I really want is more of You

This song has really spoken to me. The lyrics are straight forward but I feel like they express how I have been feeling for a couple things. While I was lying on the floor (yes, I did it :P ) I felt like there was something tugging at me. My arms felt like cement and I could not pick them up so I layed there longer and could not move. All my emotions and feelings were going at a hundred and one miles per hour but I felt that God was turn them into some kind of organization where I could find some sort of calming feeling (since I have been all tangled up lately).

Not Sure

so over the last month I have had something turning inside me. It might be something small but it hit hard. One day I went out to lunch with a "friend" and things were going well because I just passed my Praxis I exam finally :). We were talking and he said to me to be careful how much I hang out with another one of my friends (more or less giving me some sort of warning). At first I was totally taken of guard and took a step back by this and did not know what to think of this comment. He did give a couple reasons why, but what he said still has stuck with me for a while. Reasons: so I do not hide and people see me for me, guys take a step back or hesitate to talk to a girl when they are in a group, and I am a nice person to get to know. I know those are slightly (and only slightly now) legit reasons, but I was not satisfied by them and began to analyze why he said that to me in the short time period we have known each other.

I know many people usually say one with the other and people make comments about us being attached at the hip. At first I would just laugh it off; however, after time I was like "ok...you guys have said it numerous times and it is not like we 'have' to hang out with each other but we 'want' to hang out." There is a little bit of a different there. And a lot of the times we are with a group of people anyways. We have a lot of things in comment and have fun together and with others. I feel that God has made this friendship for a reason because if I did not find a great friend like her I think it would be hard to be down here. I am one that likes to find "my group" and stick with them. I would rather be very comfortable and content with a handful of people than be so, so with a ton of people. Then from this we went on a 12 hour journey to Michigan, which was a great all around trip and I feel like we were able to learn a lot about each other and have our friendship grow (and I would not take any of it back--yes, even the punch bug and the dancing). Some people probably would get sick and tired of each other on such a long trip; however, that was not the case for us. Since this comment or assumption was made before I went on the trip with her, I was fighting it the whole time whether to bring it up or not. I have been fighting it since then and it really took a toll on me and my body last week.

I must be one crazy person for knowing someone for six weeks then going on such a long journey with them (hehe) but I did not feel that way at all. I feel that the trip made my respect for my friend grow and how I do look up to her because I feel that she is a true friend who sees me for me and wants to shine for Jesus and is very knowledgeable. Seeing her love for Jesus makes me want to love Him that much more and there is so much more to life than the earthly materialistic things. In Deuteronomy 10:12 it says "what does the Lord God ask of you but to fear the Lord God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." I think where I am at in my life and walk that I need to love Him even more and become more dependent on Him.

I knew I needed to ask this guy "friend" why he said it and what he meant behind it which is really hard for me. Because in most (probably 90%) of the time I will just let something go. Here I was not sure what would come about it so I let it go for as long as I could before I could see what it was doing to me. I did not say anything about this comment/assumption to my good friend because at the time I felt like there were a lot of pieces that I did not know about her. So I kept everything inside and just faced it myself because I was not sure how she would react to it and I did not want to cause her the pain I am going through. However, I felt something tugging at me that I needed to say something to this guy "friend" to get clarifications so I gain enough guts and did it. He did try to explain why he said it and what he thought but I was still unclear about it. It made me think more and have my poor little tummy in more twists.

For a month now, I have been contemplating on what I should do (or even say). I really let this affect me in a big way. The other night I was with my friends playing cards and my friend (who I can say is my best friend now) brought up that one of the other guy friends maybe a comment how he felt/thought she eclipsed me (more or less I was in her shadow). When she said that his jaw hit the ground and my friend react was "explain!" He did explain his side because he felt like over the last two weeks he was able to really get to know me (because my friend was on a missions trip so I was the only girl so he could focus more on me instead of balancing it between both of us). Even thou he made the same comment as the other guy "friend" I took his differently because I feel like this guy friend has really take the time to get to know both my best friend and I.

The other day this topic was brought up in the car between my best friend (or as other say my other half....grrrr) and I. I felt like at that time I needed to tell her abou this comment/assumption this one guy "friend" made. If this topic did not come up the way it did, I really do not think I would have said anything to her because I would not have wanted it to affect our friendship in any way. However, I feel that since I did tell her and where our friendship is at we are/were able to talk about it. And the weird thing is that from the same comment both of us were affected differently. I think since we talked about it and both of us are/were in distress we will be able to work through this together and make our friendship that much stronger.

I lay it all out there for God to take care of because it has been an issue that I have been dealing with for a while. I ask God to calm both my best friend and my hearts and comfort us through this time. For me it is not easy and I will probably struggle at different times because that is who I am. I pray that You let something good come out of this in a way which will strength both of us.

Miss It

As I was sitting at the LU women's basketball game, I realized how much I miss it. I miss everything about it. The games. The practices. The atmosphere. The running (which is surprising for me). The team aspect. The competitiveness. The mistakes but learning opportunities. The drive to be better. The feelings. The aches and pains. I miss it all!!! I feel like that has been missing lately and I would like to feel it again. Also, I miss being soooo drained and having no more strength. I miss that because it made me realize how much I have to rely on God for strength and His strength is far greater than mine.

I can recall a practice in college where the coach was so mad at us and all she had us to was run sprints, suicides, and defensive slides for 30 straight minutes then she just walked out of practice. That practice sucked big time and I can still remember many of the girls crying or even puking in the garbage cans that were placed on the end lines for us. But I can also remember how I felt and how I had nothing left in me. I wanted to curl up in a ball and die because there was absolutely nothing left in me. This makes me think of another time in my life when I went out to Colorado with Athletes in Action.

While I was out west we heard many different talks on how to make or why we should make God our main focus while playing or during a sport. One phrase that stuck with me was “Audience of One.” The way they explained it was you need to play and do everything as in God is watching. Also, it does not matter who on earth is watching you play whether an arena full of people, playing in a pick-up game at the park, or shooting around by yourself. God will always be watching you (or in your audience).

During the time out in Colorado, we had 24 hours of competition. This time was amazing because you could really see God's strength come out and through everyone of those athletes. We played sooo many sports and did a ton of activities such as kickball, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, relay races, swimming (which i absolute hate), basketball, and tug of war. After competing in a couple of the sports/activities I was starting to feel my strength fade but next thing I know we still have swimming to do which I despise big time. I wanted to again curl up into a ball before swimming but especially after it. The next event was basketball and I was thinking how in the world and I going to play when I have minimal energy and strength left in me. To this day, I believe God was within me while I was playing basketball. For the time I was on the court and the ball in my hands, I felt alive and I had all the energy and strength I ever needed. I am not sure what happened or triggered it but I felt like I could have played with most levels of athletes (which were there).

I miss that feeling of being so down and almost out then having God come before you to give you the strength you need. A verse that really stuck with me while I was out in CO was Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." then Philippians 3:14 "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." I still pray that when I am in my lowest of low that I perform the task at hand with the strength give to me from the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

Anxiety, Sharpens, & Strength

1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (NIV)

Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (NIV)

Psalm 121
"1-2 I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

3-4 He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep.

5-6 God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.

7-8 God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always." (The Message)

Over the last week, these verses have really hit home for me. I had a bumpy road throughout the week and things twisted all over the place. The order these verses are in seem to follow how I have felt. A great friend was very encouraging this week to help me keep my focus on God to cast all my anxiety to him and help sharpen me. I thank God for what He has blessed me with especially wonderful friends. I also thank my precious friends for being there for me and helping me out in those times when I feel down and almost out.

Stuck in a Rut

Have you ever felt like a ball that is stuck between to mountains where it seems you cannot get out or have no place to go? That is kind of how I feel right now. I'm the ball and I have been rolling back and forth trying to get over a mountain but I have not been able to. I think through alot of my life I have done things because they have just seemed right. And I think I was spiritually dead going through the motions; however, now for some reason over the last couple of weeks I have felt and see there is so much more to life. Many of the people I have became friends with in my new place have been a real light to me. Through their actions and words, they have shown great love for Jesus and that He is truly the way and the life.

It is one of those things where I did not feel like I was loving God with all of my heart, all of my soul, and all of my mind. Things were just a ritual to me and I would do them then roll right back to the middle again. There is something turning inside of me that I want to get out of this gully and ritual. I want to love the Lord much deeper with all of my heart, all of my soul, and all of my mind.

Part of the song "Mighty To Save" by Hillsong has been stuck inside my head
"So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save."

It is amazing that God will take us as we are. I cry out to Him to fill my life with His unconditional love and change me for how He wants me to be. I pray that I use the strength God has given me to dig deeper with my relationship with the Him and follow the path he has for my life so I can be the light to others.