The Romanticism of Sin

     I realized lately how much our society romantisizes sin and makes it seem really attractive. Hebrews 11:24-25 say, "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;" It says right there that sin seems pleasurable, but only for a season. The world does a really great job of promoting sin, of making it seem fun, cool, modern. The more sin rules your life, the more relevant and cool you are, the more you're making the most of your time on earth.
     Let's be honest, the term YOLO is way overused and absolutely annoying. It's sequined on the legs of teenage girl's sweatpants, it's the key word of a bunch of songs, it's what people shout as they do something else spontaneous and probably stupid. As much as people like to throw the phrase around, many people live as if they only live once. But we do have a life after this, we are accountable for the things we do on earth. We get the freedom to choose how we will spend our time here on earth, whether we have 70 years left, or 70 seconds. Why would we follow the world's plea to "live it up" when we have the option to obey and honor God, and be blessed eternally for it?
     The Bible says that our lives are a vapor. We are here for a moment, but then we are gone. Sin seems fun, it seems pleasurable. But afterwards, we are left miserable, wondering why our hearts feel so empty and our lives seem so unfulfilled. A life not lived for Christ isn't a live that I want to live. If we know the world will make sin seem cool, we have to be prepared. Billboards, magazines, social media sites, commercials, even t.v. shows and movies, scream that living in sin is okay! Really people, just live the way you want! Life is short and then we all die! Just because sin is promoted as good, doesn't mean it is. Instead of desiring to participate in the world's definition of fun, remember the promises God has given to us if we resist satan and the pressures of this world.

     Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

     If there's no difference between you and an unsaved person of the world, then there's a problem. I write a lot of posts about our thought lives, but that's because it's really important that we have thoughts different from those of the world. We can't be patterned to the ways of the world, we can't promote what the world promotes, we can't think what the world thinks, and we can't desire what the world desires. The next time the world romanticizes sin, remember that we are in the world but not of it.

Stay excellent!

You Are What You Think

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he... Proverbs 23:7a

     I don't know about you, but a lot of times, I think things that I wouldn't want anyone else to know. I would be mortified if a week's worth of thoughts were published and broadcasted for other people to see. When I read this verse the other day, I was hit with a wave of conviction. I realized that God right here says that I am what I think. If I think bad thoughts about other people, I am a bad person. If I think rude or cruel things, I am rude or cruel. If I think rebelliously, I am rebellious. The world will say that humans are so beautiful, we have unique and precious hearts. God made us after His image and He thinks we are made wonderfully. However our natural hearts are disgusting.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

     We are only beautiful people when our hearts are beautiful. God can mold and change our hearts and desires as we yield to Him and get to know Him more. The less we care about the things God cares about, the uglier our hearts are. The less we conform to God's image, the more we conform to the world. The world has nothing lovely to offer, only through Christ can anything be made beautiful. The question here is, what do you choose to think? Who do you choose to yield to? I don't want to be an ugly person, so I can't think ugly thoughts. I don't want to be an unkind person, so I can't think unkind thoughts. To be generous, you must think generously. To be honest, you must think honestly. To be pure, you must think pure. You are what you think, so think carefully.

Stay excellent!

Whose Business Is It Anyways?

     I heard a quote recently that said, "It's not your business to worry about your business. It's your business to worry about God's business, and His to worry about yours." So the word business is repeated like 100 times, but the point is really good. We need to be focusing on what God says to focus on, and give our own business to Him. So often we're obsessed with things that really don't matter. Someone looked at you the wrong way, you're not sure if you should wear that because people might look at you weird, your significant other is definitely NOT taking the hint, ect. I'm definitely a person who spends 80% of my day worrying about business that is 100% insignificant.
     So what exactly is "God's business?" What are the things we should be spending our time focusing on?

Set your affections on things above, not on things on earth. Colossians 3:1

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

So that thou incline thine ear to wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding. Proverbs 2:2

     We need to have an eternal perspective on life. Our business is for the most part very fleshly and carnal, a giant waste of time. It's God's business that deserves our time and attention. We can't let our earthly affections rule what we say and do. We need to be seeking the wisdom of the Lord in everything we do. We aren't guaranteed forever, so we have to use each day wisely.
     Obviously this isn't easy because if it was, I wouldn't even write this. Focusing on God's business is something that requires diligence, it requires effort. It requires me waking up in the morning saying, "Okay God. My business is your business, now make Your business mine." It takes a commitment to give God the thoughts, feelings and intents of your heart and allowing Him to change them into what He wants them to be.
      So remember, it's not your business to worry about your business. You focus on God's business, and let Him handle yours.

Stay excellent!

My Critical Heart

     It's very easy for us to see faults in others while being blind to our own. I have recognized in my life lately that at times, I can be a very critical person. I read a quote by Dale Carnegie that says, "Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving." I mean, isn't that what we should be doing as Christians? Being understanding and forgiving? I am definitely guilty of being condescending, especially when a person says or does something I find wildly annoying. But really, most of the times I get annoyed, it's for a totally pathetic reason. People are going to be critical, it's just part of being human. I'm sure someone is going to read this and have loads of negative criticism. But I know as a person who is seeking after the Lord, that's definitely something I need to be avoiding. So here are some things that have been helping me to get rid of my critical heart!

1. Remember Jesus died for them too.

Seriously, I get that hearing her talk 24/7 can get really old. I'm usually the person talking all the time, and most of the time I don't realize it. People can really get on our nerves, it's kind of human nature. But Satan wants to use that to make us really critical. He HATES unity among believers, so any way he can get you irritated with your brothers or sisters in Christ, he's going to try. The next time that person really annoys you, remember Jesus died for them too. We don't really get the right to be annoyed or critical, because really we don't even deserve to be living. God says that we are ALL sinners, we are all destitute without Him and His blood. So if we're honest, we don't really have anything on anyone else. The only person who gets to be critical is God, yet He chooses to see the good in us. Therefore it's only fair that we see good in other people too.

2. Imagine the times you were in their position.

As stated before, usually I'm the person who doesn't stop talking. I don't do it on purpose, I just have so much to say so much of the time. A lot of times, when people are irritating us, they don't even know it. I know I've gotten on people's nerves before, and chances are you probably have too. Next time you're super critical of someone for something they're doing/saying/wearing, imagine all the times you've probably been in their position. It's really awful to be on the other end of people's criticisms and I know that it requires a lot of self control to keep the condescending thoughts away. But we can do it as long as we remember who we are compared to who God is.

3. Would Jesus appreciate your thoughts?

We all know Philippians 4:8, and that should be our filter for everything we think, say and feel. Are your critical thoughts true, honest, just, pure, lovely, or of good report? Chances are, probably not. Every time you want to feel or think or even say critical or rude things about another person, try praying instead. Ask God to help you see that person through His eyes instead of your own. It's a slap of humility that can really change your thinking.

     I wish I could say that I've mastered the art of having a totally understanding and forgiving heart, but it's something I have to work on every day. I pray that these things that helped me will help you too. As always, thanks for reading!

Stay excellent!

The Sacredness of Heartbreak

     Chances are, if you're a human and have had any sort of contact with any other human being, you've experienced heartbreak. When we experience moments of heartbreak, it's easy to feel alone. Stuck on an island of solitide, feeling as though the pain is unbearable. Studies done by multiple scientists show that emotional pain, hearbreak, can cause an actual physical pain. It is actually proven that a person can die of a broken heart, given the pain of the emotional stress is so heavy on the heart that it literally cannot continue beating. Seeing as though I've only been alive for 20 years and a few months on this earth, I haven't experienced anything too truamatic. However, like most people, I know what it feels like to feel alone, scared, stuck as though you were quarenteed from the rest of the world. In times like these, we must remember one thing - we are not alone. Jesus was betrayed, abandoned and rejected. Therefore, we get to know God and understand Him more when we are experiencing times of hurt deeper than human words could express.

 Having our hearts broken gives us a glimpse of the character of God. 

     How often we humans break God's heart, we leave our first love, we have idols in our hearts, and we forget His goodness and His blessings in our life. There is no person on this earth who will be able to understand what you're feeling 100% of the time, but God can. If anyone knows heartbreak best, it's Jesus Christ. He loved the people of Israel as much as a husband loves his wife. (Jeremiah 31:32) Being forgotten and replaced time and time again by these people He loved so much must have given him incomprehensible heartbreak. He sacrificed for them, He gave them so many chances, yet they still chose to take advantage of His blessings and despise Him when things weren't going their way. We must be careful not to do that in our lives.
     It's sacred to share the pain of heartbreak with Jesus. When He hung on the cross, He experienced true hell on earth because He felt what it's like to be without God the Father. How much His heart must of broke when He slowly died on that tree for us, knowing He did nothing to deserve it. We could never endure a pain more painful than what He must have felt. That is an extremely humbling yet encouraging thought. We can never doubt God's love for us, He loved us enough to sacrifice His perfect Son. As Stephanie Rische writes,

 "When you feel like your heart is broken beyond repair, remember that nothing about this place is ordinary. You are uniquely poised, at this very moment, to share an intimate part of God's character. It's the place of the broken heart, and it's a sacred ground."

Stay excellent!

(Derived from http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2009/march/sacredness-of-broken-heart.html?start=3)

Patience, Posture & Power

(This blog post comes from the notes that I took from an incredible message preached by Pastor Percy Edmunds)

Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

     Psalm 27:14 is such an encouraging verse for so many people. It's one of those verses that are vital to write down on a post-it and put it in a convenient location to read 100 times a day. This verse seems short, sweet and simple, but there are three points within it that really encouraged me and I hope that they will do the same for you.

1.Plea for Patience

     Part of serving is waiting. So often we think we have to work, work, work all the time and never take a break. We think ministry is being busy 100% of the time. Serving and working for the Lord are important and commanded in scripture, but we are told twice in this verse to wait. Wait on the Lord. Wait is defined as staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something happens. God wants us to stay right where we are, delay action, and wait on the Lord. Wait for His timing and for Him to work.

2. Positive Posture

     We must wait on the Lord with a good attitude. "Be of good courage" means that we need to be strong in the time of trials or temptations. Waiting isn't always going to be easy. In fact, it could quite possibly be one of the hardest things we go through. Despite this, God is not impressed with us waiting angrily or with a lousy attitude. Our outlook must be courageous, it must be good, and that's what will give us the strength to wait on the Lord.

3. Promise of Power

     "He shall strengthen your heart." We are promised that if we will wait on the Lord, and do it with a good attitude, He will strengthen our hearts. God is incapable of breaking His promises to us because it's against His nature, so we have that ultimate promise of His power working in our lives. However, this promise is conditional - to experience God's power in our hearts, we must have positive posture while being patient.

     When I heard these three points within this verse, it instantly became even more precious to me. We are promised so much in Christ Jesus, but it's very easy to let the cares and worries of this world consume us. We must remember to have positive posture as we patiently wait on Jesus, and when we do this, we will get to experience the power of the strength He gives. I don't know about you, but that's power that I definitely want to have!

                                                       

                                                                                                                                         Stay excellent!