They don't call it "comfort food" for nothing...
It's the beginning of the new year & the time when my church does "The Daniel Fast."
It's a glorious, somewhat terrifying 21 days of eating only fruits, veggies & whole grains while we purpose to spend more time with God in our daily lives. We're basically setting the tone for the new year & letting our flesh know that it's not the boss.
It's always a time that reveals a lot about your character, desires & motivations.
This year I couldn't believe how much emotional stock I put in food. Really it should not have come as a surprise looking back, but the cold-turkey dismissal of all things sweet, savory, greasy, yummy & satisfying was a shock to my system. & I came to understand some things.
1. Food releases pleasure & can bring a false sense of comfort/healing, as can entertainment, shopping, & the list goes on. The issue isn't the food, it's your heart. If you turn to food every time you're feeling emotional, you'll become an emotional eater & you'll be caught in a cycle. If however you turn to God in those moments, you become healed. That's a major difference!
2. Laziness will destroy you. Not only will it cause you to gain weight (both physical & emotional), it will keep you out of your promise land & begin to skew the truth of the Word of God in your eyes. Rather than living an active life of faith, you begin to say things like, "tithing doesn't work," or "healing isn't for today" because you don't see them happening.
Somehow in church life I got it into my brain that if I just existed in this Christian life all the good things that God promised would automatically happen for me & none of the bad things in life would ever happen to me. But the Bible says that faith without works is dead - that means I need to do something. It's not about earning God promises, it's about living a life that shows you believe Him. Faith engages God, acknowledges that He is present & then takes the step that He asks of it. Whether that step is sharing your faith, praying for the sick, believing through tragedy, dancing in worship or giving your last $10 in the offering.
Don't let life make you lazy! Don't run to anything else for comfort, it doesn't have the power to heal you. Run your race! Run to God, run with faith, it is not as hard as your flesh wants you to believe.
You don't just sit at the table & expect the food to get in your stomach! You gotta pick up the fork & chew...it's not hard to do, but it makes all the difference.
-Amie
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Monday, January 18, 2016
Monday, December 7, 2015
Oh the kindness of our God.
Oh the kindness of our God.
The faithfulness He has shown is infinite. It was His goodness that brought us to repentance, His love that cleansed us, & it is His mercy that keeps us.
In our struggle and our fight, He is rest.
In our pain, He is healing.
He is joy.
He is hope.
He is every answer to every question & He is ever faithful as we work out our salvation.
From the wobbly steps of a new Christian, to the stubborn & prideful thoughts of the aged. He is there to prune. He is there to bring us into the right places, to bring us into strength & humility. He will never stop loving you, & He will never stop growing you.
Oh the kindness of the One who took our place & Who, regardless of our failures, declares that we are His beloved.
With a love that never fails, He loves us.
With a salvation that makes us completely new, He has saved us.
Oh the kindness of our God that never gives up, never lessens, never changes. He is the One who has saved us, He is the One we are trusting with our lives. He is God & we are His,
Now let us rest in the kindness of our God.
The faithfulness He has shown is infinite. It was His goodness that brought us to repentance, His love that cleansed us, & it is His mercy that keeps us.
In our struggle and our fight, He is rest.
In our pain, He is healing.
He is joy.
He is hope.
He is every answer to every question & He is ever faithful as we work out our salvation.
From the wobbly steps of a new Christian, to the stubborn & prideful thoughts of the aged. He is there to prune. He is there to bring us into the right places, to bring us into strength & humility. He will never stop loving you, & He will never stop growing you.
Oh the kindness of the One who took our place & Who, regardless of our failures, declares that we are His beloved.
With a love that never fails, He loves us.
With a salvation that makes us completely new, He has saved us.
Oh the kindness of our God that never gives up, never lessens, never changes. He is the One who has saved us, He is the One we are trusting with our lives. He is God & we are His,
Now let us rest in the kindness of our God.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
It was a Wednesday.
This time last year, I didn't know it, but it was going to be the worst time of my life.
Abigail was getting ready to go to Heaven. We spent all night loving her, being with her & in the early morning she went to be with Jesus.
We went back to the Ronald McDonald House & slept for a few hours, packed up our stuff & headed home.
I remember that long drive home. It was a Wednesday.
I remember it was a Wednesday because as we got closer to home we both looked at each other & said, "I kind of want to be in church."
We parked around the back of the building, went through a side door & sat in the back office on a couch & just listened to the message being preached. There was a lot happening in that dark, quiet back office. We didn't hear all of the message, we didn't participate in praise & worship, we had no offering to bring, but we just needed to be in church.
I don't think we knew it at the time, but I truly believe that was the foundation of our healing. It was as if we slammed a stake in the ground & said, "We're going to keep doing what we know to do."
It wasn't always a pretty road to walk. We didn't always feel like continuing to do what was right & sometimes we just didn't. But we never stayed there long, we knew the only way out was by doing what was right.
I can't imagine my life without my church. Not only is my church family the very best of the best, but the truth & the standard & the hope that I have gained from immersing myself in church life has kept me.
We weren't meant to do life alone. We weren't meant to go through the hard stuff alone. We weren't meant to celebrate alone. God wants to bring us into a family. There is strength in numbers. Don't run away from the one place that tells you the truth & helps your faith. Even if the words feel like they sting, don't remove yourself from the House. Faith comes by hearing & hearing by the Word of God. Stay where the Word is preached, stay where your faith can grow, & you'll see your healing come.
Abigail was getting ready to go to Heaven. We spent all night loving her, being with her & in the early morning she went to be with Jesus.
We went back to the Ronald McDonald House & slept for a few hours, packed up our stuff & headed home.
I remember that long drive home. It was a Wednesday.
I remember it was a Wednesday because as we got closer to home we both looked at each other & said, "I kind of want to be in church."
We parked around the back of the building, went through a side door & sat in the back office on a couch & just listened to the message being preached. There was a lot happening in that dark, quiet back office. We didn't hear all of the message, we didn't participate in praise & worship, we had no offering to bring, but we just needed to be in church.
I don't think we knew it at the time, but I truly believe that was the foundation of our healing. It was as if we slammed a stake in the ground & said, "We're going to keep doing what we know to do."
It wasn't always a pretty road to walk. We didn't always feel like continuing to do what was right & sometimes we just didn't. But we never stayed there long, we knew the only way out was by doing what was right.
I can't imagine my life without my church. Not only is my church family the very best of the best, but the truth & the standard & the hope that I have gained from immersing myself in church life has kept me.
We weren't meant to do life alone. We weren't meant to go through the hard stuff alone. We weren't meant to celebrate alone. God wants to bring us into a family. There is strength in numbers. Don't run away from the one place that tells you the truth & helps your faith. Even if the words feel like they sting, don't remove yourself from the House. Faith comes by hearing & hearing by the Word of God. Stay where the Word is preached, stay where your faith can grow, & you'll see your healing come.
Psalm 133:1-3
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
well-oiled
Thinking about "the anointing" today!
It seems like such an epic word...& it is, but it's also very simple. Maybe it's the simplicity of it all that makes it epic!?
The word anointing in the Bible has to do with oil & lots of it! God's plan is for us to live our lives like well-oiled machines!
Without oil you're machine might run for a little bit, but eventually it'll seize up. Oil is designed to smooth out the friction & keep the parts moving. Oil keeps your machine from over heating & helps clean out impurities.
You were made to run & run well. Running well depends entirely on your oil supply. Life will try to drain you of your oil. The devil wants you to try make things work by your own strength, except we weren't built like that. We were built to rely on the oil.
It's His anointing that destroys yokes & breaks off bondage's in our lives. It's His anointing that sets us apart & enables us to accomplish what He has designed for us to accomplish. No calling was ever meant to be fulfilled without His anointing, & in fact it cannot be.
What does it mean to have the anointing? It's really the simplest of all things. It means that you have God with you. It's not some super-special-secret-code, rather it's a super-special-cultivated-relationship between you & the Father...something that everyone can have.
Acts 10:30
"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him."
Jesus had a specific mission that He accomplished because God was with Him. Why would we try to do it any other way? His life is that perfect example of how to make through both the good & the bad. Stay close to the Father.
It's easier to keep an engine running on a regular basis than try to start one up that's been sitting around for years or fix one that's seized up. Do yourself a favor & stay oily! Ups & downs will come & go, but the oil will keep you running smoothly.
It seems like such an epic word...& it is, but it's also very simple. Maybe it's the simplicity of it all that makes it epic!?
The word anointing in the Bible has to do with oil & lots of it! God's plan is for us to live our lives like well-oiled machines!
Without oil you're machine might run for a little bit, but eventually it'll seize up. Oil is designed to smooth out the friction & keep the parts moving. Oil keeps your machine from over heating & helps clean out impurities.
You were made to run & run well. Running well depends entirely on your oil supply. Life will try to drain you of your oil. The devil wants you to try make things work by your own strength, except we weren't built like that. We were built to rely on the oil.
It's His anointing that destroys yokes & breaks off bondage's in our lives. It's His anointing that sets us apart & enables us to accomplish what He has designed for us to accomplish. No calling was ever meant to be fulfilled without His anointing, & in fact it cannot be.
What does it mean to have the anointing? It's really the simplest of all things. It means that you have God with you. It's not some super-special-secret-code, rather it's a super-special-cultivated-relationship between you & the Father...something that everyone can have.
Acts 10:30
"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him."
Jesus had a specific mission that He accomplished because God was with Him. Why would we try to do it any other way? His life is that perfect example of how to make through both the good & the bad. Stay close to the Father.
It's easier to keep an engine running on a regular basis than try to start one up that's been sitting around for years or fix one that's seized up. Do yourself a favor & stay oily! Ups & downs will come & go, but the oil will keep you running smoothly.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Limits
Everyone's limit is different. My busy doesn't make your busy any more or any less. Everyone is learning to handle their own busy.
Let's give each other space to grow.
Just because you've mastered something doesn't mean someone else has. & just because you see something as a big deal doesn't mean that someone else will see it that way.
That's okay. We need to stop holding people hostage to our definitions & ask God what He says.
It's His Word that helps people deal with their busy & expand their limits, not my opinion. It's His Word that puts things into perspective, not my experience.
Let's be busier praying for people, & less busy criticizing.
It's really a win-win...praying helps them with their life & makes you feel happy. & we need more happy people in this world!
Let's give each other space to grow.
Just because you've mastered something doesn't mean someone else has. & just because you see something as a big deal doesn't mean that someone else will see it that way.
That's okay. We need to stop holding people hostage to our definitions & ask God what He says.
It's His Word that helps people deal with their busy & expand their limits, not my opinion. It's His Word that puts things into perspective, not my experience.
Let's be busier praying for people, & less busy criticizing.
It's really a win-win...praying helps them with their life & makes you feel happy. & we need more happy people in this world!
Isaiah 26:3-4
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
Monday, April 13, 2015
It's His perfect love.
I'll tell you what, life does not take it easy on you just because you are going through something.
That's why it's so important to run to God, otherwise you can get swallowed up.
This weekend was packed full of reminders about Abigail. One right after the other. I couldn't get away from it. Every where I turned there they were. What am I supposed to do? Go crawl under a rock?!
I'll be honest, there are times I've wanted to do that, but that's not an option. Why isn't that an option? Because I've still got a life to live, a family to love, a destiny to accomplish & my God to serve! But those precious things are not the things that motivate me. It's His perfect love.
He loves me beyond measure & He's pursuing me out of that love. I can feel it shake me & move me & pull me up out of pain & sadness. I'm not trying to sound like super woman, sometimes it takes a little bit for me to come around, but He never stops.
He's not waiting around for me to try & conjure up some emotion out of my own strength, He's just there, loving me intensely & perfectly & then the sadness breaks off of me again. & the more times I let Him in to love me, the less times I feel sad. That might seem like the most obvious statement in the entire universe, but when your wading through the murkiness of life sometimes you forget.
For me, it mostly happens during times of worship. The moments when I'm singing every word by faith & honoring Him by believing regardless of what I'm feeling & then suddenly it changes & He's made all things new again. It's amazing the life that comes to your mind, your emotions & even your physical body when He begins to minister to you.
Other times He uses my husband. He lets me cry on his shoulder & then speaks the truth to me about our situation. I can't tell you how many times & how many ways God has used that man.
Why am I telling you all of this?
Because I want you to know that there is hope. There is healing & that God loves you just as passionately as He loves me. He's looking to pour Himself out into your life & help you through the hard times & celebrate with you in the good. Have faith.
Don't allow yourself to be swallowed up by the pain. Don't allow the devil to use a tragedy to take your life away as well. Keep running back to God, over & over, never lose hope.
Don't ever quit... He'll never quit on you.
That's why it's so important to run to God, otherwise you can get swallowed up.
This weekend was packed full of reminders about Abigail. One right after the other. I couldn't get away from it. Every where I turned there they were. What am I supposed to do? Go crawl under a rock?!
I'll be honest, there are times I've wanted to do that, but that's not an option. Why isn't that an option? Because I've still got a life to live, a family to love, a destiny to accomplish & my God to serve! But those precious things are not the things that motivate me. It's His perfect love.
He loves me beyond measure & He's pursuing me out of that love. I can feel it shake me & move me & pull me up out of pain & sadness. I'm not trying to sound like super woman, sometimes it takes a little bit for me to come around, but He never stops.
He's not waiting around for me to try & conjure up some emotion out of my own strength, He's just there, loving me intensely & perfectly & then the sadness breaks off of me again. & the more times I let Him in to love me, the less times I feel sad. That might seem like the most obvious statement in the entire universe, but when your wading through the murkiness of life sometimes you forget.
For me, it mostly happens during times of worship. The moments when I'm singing every word by faith & honoring Him by believing regardless of what I'm feeling & then suddenly it changes & He's made all things new again. It's amazing the life that comes to your mind, your emotions & even your physical body when He begins to minister to you.
Other times He uses my husband. He lets me cry on his shoulder & then speaks the truth to me about our situation. I can't tell you how many times & how many ways God has used that man.
Why am I telling you all of this?
Because I want you to know that there is hope. There is healing & that God loves you just as passionately as He loves me. He's looking to pour Himself out into your life & help you through the hard times & celebrate with you in the good. Have faith.
Don't allow yourself to be swallowed up by the pain. Don't allow the devil to use a tragedy to take your life away as well. Keep running back to God, over & over, never lose hope.
Don't ever quit... He'll never quit on you.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Fragrance
Your worship impacts the atmosphere.
In your good times & in your bad times, learn to worship. Learn to turn your eyes on Jesus & let all the big things of this world fade in His presence. Let the fragrance of your worship fill the room, you cannot help but be changed as He receives your love.
Honor Him above your circumstances & He will honor your faith.
Our God is generous. He will not leave you to fight alone. Only believe.
John 12:3 niv
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume;
she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
In your good times & in your bad times, learn to worship. Learn to turn your eyes on Jesus & let all the big things of this world fade in His presence. Let the fragrance of your worship fill the room, you cannot help but be changed as He receives your love.
Honor Him above your circumstances & He will honor your faith.
Our God is generous. He will not leave you to fight alone. Only believe.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
even if your voice shakes
People like to say, "no mess, no message."
I say, "bologna!"
I was raised in the church, living for God from a very young age, had it good, didn't have any "huge" (as if they can be measured??) sin issues, never really had a big ol' mess & guess what, I STILL HAVE A MESSAGE!
I heard a story once of a man who was asked to give his testimony. He was last in a line of 3. The first two guys had whoppers! Drugs, alcohol, affairs, stealing, murder, etc & God saved them out of it all! YES, God is that big & that awesome!
The third man was panicking...he had no big story to tell...his story was a lot like mine...until at that moment God quickened something in his heart.
God had kept him.
In a world where morals are stepped on every single day, where holiness is mocked, & a Biblical life is looked down upon... God kept this man clean.
Yes, we all sin - and for that reason we all need to be saved. I'm not saying my sin is worse or your sin is worse. We all sin & we all need Jesus.
But to say that you don't have a message because you haven't had a mess is FALSE!
If you're like me & have been blessed enough to be raised in a God-fearing, moral environment & you look at your life wondering - how can I help people when I've never gone through what they have? Know this, God has shown His power in your life. He has the power to save & keep people from sin! That is one of the greatest messages that people without hope can hear! Preach it loud.
If you have struggled with things in your past, there is no condemnation. You have a message too! God can take you out of a mess, save you & give you a message! That is one of the greatest messages that people without hope can hear! Preach it loud.
You see - we're all loved, adored, & desired by God. We all have sin in some degree, we all require Jesus & we all have a message. No one is better than another.
Preach your message loud, even if your voice shakes. Let God use you to bring hope to the hopeless. Jesus is the answer & we need to share Him.
-Amie
I say, "bologna!"
I was raised in the church, living for God from a very young age, had it good, didn't have any "huge" (as if they can be measured??) sin issues, never really had a big ol' mess & guess what, I STILL HAVE A MESSAGE!
I heard a story once of a man who was asked to give his testimony. He was last in a line of 3. The first two guys had whoppers! Drugs, alcohol, affairs, stealing, murder, etc & God saved them out of it all! YES, God is that big & that awesome!
The third man was panicking...he had no big story to tell...his story was a lot like mine...until at that moment God quickened something in his heart.
God had kept him.
In a world where morals are stepped on every single day, where holiness is mocked, & a Biblical life is looked down upon... God kept this man clean.
Yes, we all sin - and for that reason we all need to be saved. I'm not saying my sin is worse or your sin is worse. We all sin & we all need Jesus.
But to say that you don't have a message because you haven't had a mess is FALSE!
If you're like me & have been blessed enough to be raised in a God-fearing, moral environment & you look at your life wondering - how can I help people when I've never gone through what they have? Know this, God has shown His power in your life. He has the power to save & keep people from sin! That is one of the greatest messages that people without hope can hear! Preach it loud.
If you have struggled with things in your past, there is no condemnation. You have a message too! God can take you out of a mess, save you & give you a message! That is one of the greatest messages that people without hope can hear! Preach it loud.
You see - we're all loved, adored, & desired by God. We all have sin in some degree, we all require Jesus & we all have a message. No one is better than another.
Preach your message loud, even if your voice shakes. Let God use you to bring hope to the hopeless. Jesus is the answer & we need to share Him.
-Amie
Friday, February 27, 2015
expansion
It's amazing how much the heart can expand.
It heals, it forgives, it loves, it grows. The heart is a beautiful thing.
Of course, it does also hurt...but the ability of the heart to heal is amazing. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about my Abigail, but the memories get happier & the pain gets less as my heart heals.
I felt like I was doomed to pain for the rest of my life after my little girl went to Heaven, but God's promises are true & He really does give you joy for mourning & beauty for ashes.
I thought I was doomed to have a "pang" in my heart every time I heard that another one of my friend's was pregnant & yet now, I feel as if I can love their babies even more.
I thought I was doomed to cry every time a new baby was born & I held that new life in my arms, but my heart grew & I'm loving those little babies with all the joy in my heart.
I won't lie to you & say it's been all peaches & cream - I'm still healing - but God is faithful & the more I allow Him to love me, the more I find my heart expanding and the things that once brought pain, now bring joy.
So don't think you're the first to burst into sad tears & not happy ones when your friends tell you their good news. You'll feel happy for them, sad for you, guilty for feeling sad & a million other things. Go ahead & cry, go ahead & feel those emotions, it's okay, it's normal - and then go to God & let Him continue His work in you.
Don't hide yourself away from the happy things of life. As much as it hurts, it's part of the healing, and who better to go through it with than those who love you most? We're all put here together to help each other do this thing called life.
Let those that God has given you help you & let God do His work.
He has all the hope you need.
-Amie
It heals, it forgives, it loves, it grows. The heart is a beautiful thing.
Of course, it does also hurt...but the ability of the heart to heal is amazing. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about my Abigail, but the memories get happier & the pain gets less as my heart heals.
I felt like I was doomed to pain for the rest of my life after my little girl went to Heaven, but God's promises are true & He really does give you joy for mourning & beauty for ashes.
I thought I was doomed to have a "pang" in my heart every time I heard that another one of my friend's was pregnant & yet now, I feel as if I can love their babies even more.
I thought I was doomed to cry every time a new baby was born & I held that new life in my arms, but my heart grew & I'm loving those little babies with all the joy in my heart.
I won't lie to you & say it's been all peaches & cream - I'm still healing - but God is faithful & the more I allow Him to love me, the more I find my heart expanding and the things that once brought pain, now bring joy.
So don't think you're the first to burst into sad tears & not happy ones when your friends tell you their good news. You'll feel happy for them, sad for you, guilty for feeling sad & a million other things. Go ahead & cry, go ahead & feel those emotions, it's okay, it's normal - and then go to God & let Him continue His work in you.
Don't hide yourself away from the happy things of life. As much as it hurts, it's part of the healing, and who better to go through it with than those who love you most? We're all put here together to help each other do this thing called life.
Let those that God has given you help you & let God do His work.
He has all the hope you need.
-Amie
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
take. hope.
Life is big & full of overwhelming things.
Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you;
he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Isaiah 26:3-4
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
There is nothing to big for Him to get your through & bring you out victorious. Life is not too big & overwhelming for God!
Proverbs 3:5-8
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
Take hope today in Someone who is much stronger & bigger than you. Even if you don't feel it, TAKE it! God is our hope & He has freely given Himself to us!
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
***Be full***
One thing I've learned is that life doesn't stop.
Life doesn't care what you're going through, it will keep chugging along. On top of that, it doesn't care how much of a load you already have to carry, it will add more.
Time is relentless.
So what's the answer? Be full!
It might seem like a cop-out answer, but it's been the "realest" truth in my life. It never fails. When I'm full of God's Word, prayer & worship it causes a chain reaction. The troubles of life don't disappear, but they aren't as big & I can see the victory! My emotions are more Godly - I don't PMS (let's just be real!), I don't cry over a hang nail, I don't get discontented. My body is more "alive!" I have the desire to eat healthy, exercise, & take care of myself. All of this happens BECAUSE my spiritual life is full.
& then there's the opposite...when I'm empty. It's not pleasant. You can pretty much guess it's the exact opposite of the above.
So why in the world do I stop?? Why do I keep shooting myself in the foot? Why do I put down my Bible? I've come to determine that the "flesh" or the thing that connects us to this world doesn't care if it suffers as long as it doesn't have to deal with God. Human nature isn't anti-suffering, it's anti-God. My flesh would rather have me miserable, than have me running on all cylinders & full of God!
Thank God He's given us the victory! Romans 7 & 8 tell us that, yes we're warring against a sin-nature, but that we've been given the power over it! God in us is stronger than any desire to sin! But if we're not full of God, how can we hope to defeat our enemy? We're not strong enough on our own, BUT HE'S GIVEN US THE ANSWER!! Himself!
Stay faithful - reading, praying, worshiping - and see that even though life won't be perfect, you'll have the victory!
*photo by Caleb Willoughby
Life doesn't care what you're going through, it will keep chugging along. On top of that, it doesn't care how much of a load you already have to carry, it will add more.
Time is relentless.
So what's the answer? Be full!
It might seem like a cop-out answer, but it's been the "realest" truth in my life. It never fails. When I'm full of God's Word, prayer & worship it causes a chain reaction. The troubles of life don't disappear, but they aren't as big & I can see the victory! My emotions are more Godly - I don't PMS (let's just be real!), I don't cry over a hang nail, I don't get discontented. My body is more "alive!" I have the desire to eat healthy, exercise, & take care of myself. All of this happens BECAUSE my spiritual life is full.
& then there's the opposite...when I'm empty. It's not pleasant. You can pretty much guess it's the exact opposite of the above.
So why in the world do I stop?? Why do I keep shooting myself in the foot? Why do I put down my Bible? I've come to determine that the "flesh" or the thing that connects us to this world doesn't care if it suffers as long as it doesn't have to deal with God. Human nature isn't anti-suffering, it's anti-God. My flesh would rather have me miserable, than have me running on all cylinders & full of God!
Thank God He's given us the victory! Romans 7 & 8 tell us that, yes we're warring against a sin-nature, but that we've been given the power over it! God in us is stronger than any desire to sin! But if we're not full of God, how can we hope to defeat our enemy? We're not strong enough on our own, BUT HE'S GIVEN US THE ANSWER!! Himself!
Stay faithful - reading, praying, worshiping - and see that even though life won't be perfect, you'll have the victory!
Thursday, February 12, 2015
~friends~
I don't at all want this blog to only be about the hardest days of my life, I want you to see that joy really does come in the "morning." & even though my "morning" seemed to be a few months coming, it has come & joy is here.
I know that God is working in me a healing that no one else can do, but I also see the importance of surrounding yourself with people who will encourage you & hug you & yes, even challenge you.
When you're in the middle of quicksand you can't pull yourself out, you need friends! The man in the Bible who was crippled needed friends to take him to Jesus so he could get healed!
There were so many days I wanted nothing to do with friends or joy or laughs, but it was the people God had put around me who helped me walk through it all.
I'm not sure they really even realize what they did for me. But in the moments where I felt like God wasn't near, I had everyone around me telling me He was, helping me along, praying for me - how can you say thank you for that? It's life.
Isolation will destroy your life, but so will surrounding yourself with wrong people telling you the wrong things. The relationships you create will be life or death. The Bible tells us to guard our heart because it is the wellspring of life. If I had surrounded myself with people who only ever felt sorry for me (even though their intentions were only good), sorrow would be the only thing my heart could produce. But because I have an amazing husband, family & church family - people who are full of faith, & people that don't quit - my heart was filled with that same faith & determination, so that's what came out of me (eventually!).
I'm not trying to make it sound like it was easy, but it was right & it was life. God's Word doesn't promise a perfect life, but He surely promises victory over the junk that does happen in this life. I'd rather have victory over the bad things that happen in my life, than just go on living with them for the rest of my days.
I guess what I'm trying to say is - GET IN A CHURCH! Surround yourself with faith-filled people, fill yourself with the Word of God that's preached from the pulpit, & believe that God is doing His work!
-Amie
I know that God is working in me a healing that no one else can do, but I also see the importance of surrounding yourself with people who will encourage you & hug you & yes, even challenge you.
When you're in the middle of quicksand you can't pull yourself out, you need friends! The man in the Bible who was crippled needed friends to take him to Jesus so he could get healed!
There were so many days I wanted nothing to do with friends or joy or laughs, but it was the people God had put around me who helped me walk through it all.
I'm not sure they really even realize what they did for me. But in the moments where I felt like God wasn't near, I had everyone around me telling me He was, helping me along, praying for me - how can you say thank you for that? It's life.
Isolation will destroy your life, but so will surrounding yourself with wrong people telling you the wrong things. The relationships you create will be life or death. The Bible tells us to guard our heart because it is the wellspring of life. If I had surrounded myself with people who only ever felt sorry for me (even though their intentions were only good), sorrow would be the only thing my heart could produce. But because I have an amazing husband, family & church family - people who are full of faith, & people that don't quit - my heart was filled with that same faith & determination, so that's what came out of me (eventually!).
I'm not trying to make it sound like it was easy, but it was right & it was life. God's Word doesn't promise a perfect life, but He surely promises victory over the junk that does happen in this life. I'd rather have victory over the bad things that happen in my life, than just go on living with them for the rest of my days.
I guess what I'm trying to say is - GET IN A CHURCH! Surround yourself with faith-filled people, fill yourself with the Word of God that's preached from the pulpit, & believe that God is doing His work!
-Amie
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