Childlike Faith

Childlike Faith        

Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

—Luke 1:38

Lord, I want Your will. I will do what You want me to do. I will go where You want me to go. I will say what You want me to say.

Have you ever said that to God? Mary did.

When Gabriel suddenly appeared to her one day and announced that she would be the mother of the Messiah, she was completely obedient, saying, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).

I love that Mary had childlike faith. Its amazing how open and trusting children are. If someone they trust tells them to jump and they promise to catch them, the child usually does not hesitate to jump. They have faith that the trusted person will not fail them.

But sometimes when God tells us to jump, we say, "What?" We think, I don't want to jump. What if God drops me? But He won't drop us. What kind of parent would do that? Our heavenly Father will catch us.

I personally struggle with trusting people. In a lot of cases I hesitate on counting on someone to actually do what they said they would do. It doesn’t come from being let down by others it comes from within. I have such a fear of letting people down and failing that it extends outward to not trusting people because they may let me down. With God’s help I am slowly progressing in being able to trust others, Him and myself. It’s amazing what He has been showing me. He has showed me that not trusting Him causes worry, stress and anxiety in my life. Its not just trusting Him with my future plans, He has been showing me that I need to trust Him with my present daily plans. Handing every area of planning over to Him hasn’t been the easiest and I still mess up a lot and try to control my life daily. But realizing that if He is in control of my life relieves the anxiety that I have of failing. If He is in control everything will work out according to His plans even if I make mistakes and His plan is perfect. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

We often wonder about the will of God for our lives, but here is something to consider: Obedience to revealed truth guarantees guidance in matters unrevealed. Is there something you know to be God's will for you right now? Have you done it? Don't ask God to reveal His will beyond that until you take care of what you know is His will. We say that we want God's will, but often we want Him to reveal it first so we can decide whether or not we are going to do it.

Mary said, "Let it be to me according to your word." Have you made that commitment as well?

Inspired by Greg Laurie's Devotion

Alaska Hike with my brother and sister

CHRISTmas is COMING!!!!

I know, I know its only December 3^rd but I absolutely LOVE Christmas. I have been holding out on playing Christmas music or wearing Christmas outfits until after Thanksgiving and now its finally time I can start.  I am so excited! One of my favorite things about Christmas is buying people gifts. I wish I could buy every person I know a present. It brings me so much joy to find a special something for a special someone!  However I really feel embarrassed when people thank me for the gift. I just want it to be a secret like it was really from Santa. Since the season is just beginning and I really want to make sure I keep the right attitude in mind. I want to keep the focus this year really on Jesus! This really helped me realize what Christmas is truly about.

“The true message of Christmas is that God came to us: " 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us' " (Matthew 1:23). The message of Christmas should be Let us worship because God is with us. The first Christmas gifts were not from the wise men to the Child. Rather, the first gift of Christmas was the gift of Jesus Christ from God to us: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). The message of Christmas means this: You will never be alone in life again. Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23). That is an amazing statement. God the Father and God the Son are saying they want to make their home with you and me. Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). That is a promise to all people. Why? Because of Immanuel—God is with us.”(Greg Laurie)

In my mind I have always been like: Oh yeah Christmas is about Jesus and how He came to earth as a baby. However this just showed me in such a deeper way that without Christmas we would be alone. There wouldn’t be a reason to celebrate and there would be no joy in the season. It would just turn into another cold, dark day in December. Jesus really gave us the only reason to celebrate and I really want it to be about His presence and not the presents. I want my thoughts and actions to be evidence that He is actively working in my life.  

Christmas means so much to me. I love when my family gets together and just enjoys each other’s company.  My favorite tradition is that my grandma always makes a birthday cake for Jesus! This year however is going to be different because it means even more to me than it ever has before!

A Time to be Thankful...

In light of Thanksgiving being right around the corner I thought it was only suiting to do a blog on being  thankful. All throughout out the scriptures it talks about the importance of being thankful yet it is one of the most forgotten items in our day. We constantly go to the Lord for things that we need, we tend to use him like a genie or a doctor. When we want/need something we Him to be our magical genie. When we have problems or need something fixed or healed we go to him like the ultimate doctor. Yes, He is the almighty healer and yes, He does fulfill our every need but there is so much more to His character than that. In everyday life we take so much  for granted and never ever take a breath to thank God for these things. I don't want anyone to feel condemned I just want to bring an awareness to this area of our life. Its something I need to tremendously work on because not only does Christ want us to show our thankfulness to Him and other but it also helps eliminate other negative aspects in our life.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you

Personally when I let an ungrateful attitude rule my mind it brings up so much more. I tend to become very discontent with my life. When I am not appreciative of what I have or what i am doing in my life I loose my vertical focus on the Kingdom (Heaven) and  tend to have a horizontal focus on the world around me. Once I start looking around I start comparing other lives with my own. I get very envious of those around me. I see my friends married or getting married and I start letting that be an obsession in my mind and the only thing I want. And since I don't have that right now I think that my life is miserable. Loosing sight of everything that I have to be thankful for turns me into a nasty green-eyed monster. 

James 3:16 
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

Proverbs 14:30

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.

Having an attitude of gratitude is such a blessing, not just for you but for Christ and others around you. Being thankful changes your countenance and disposition. Instead of being down and discouraged, spread gloom and despair everywhere you go, you begging to radiate the joy of the Lord. The best witnesses for Christ are those who are facing life's trials with a song of thanksgiving on their lips.  An attitude of thanksgiving also opens the door for God to work. God hates it when we grumble and gripe...but He loves it when we praise sand give thanks. As we begin to live a life of thankfulness to God, He begins to work, even through the toughest trials and tests of faith. 

Psalm 9:1-2
"I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High."

God loves to hear us. He takes great pleasure in receiving our thanks and our love. He cares so deeply  about everything that affects our lives. He wants to fill us with joy and not despair.
Not only during this time of Thanksgiving but everyday in our lives try to be thankful for all that you have. Don't let jealousness, envy, or discontentment fill your thoughts. During trials and tests, when you feel like you have nothing to be thankful for, turn to Christ and ask Him to show you specific things in your life that He has given especially to you. However, if you make an effort to be thankful everyday when those tough times come it will be easier to have a grateful heart.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Battlefield of the Mind

Our actions are direct results of our thoughts, that is why our thoughts are so important. We need to keep our minds renewed according to the Word of God. However we need to be aware because the devil is a liar! Jesus called him "the father of lies and all that is false." (John 8:44) He tells us things about ourselves, about other people and about our circumstances that are just not true. He does not, however, tell us the entire lie all at once. He begins bombarding our mind with clever devised pattern of little nagging thoughts, suspicions, doubts, fears, wonderings, reasonings and theories. He moves slowly and cautiously (after all, well laid plans take time). Remember, he has a strategy for his warfare. He has studied us for a long time. He knows what we like and what we don't like. He knows our insecurities, our weakness and our fears. He knows what bothers us most. He is willing to invest any amount of time it takes to defeat us. One of the devil's strong points is patience. Through careful strategy and cunning deceit, Satan attempts to set up"strongholds" in our mind. A stronghold is an area in which we are held in bondage due to a certain way of thinking. Satan takes our circumstances and builds strongholds in our lives. Personal strongholds in my life have been worry, anxiety and doubt. There are many other areas that attack the mind like depression, anger and feeling of condemnation that the devil uses. Thank the Lord that He has given us weapons and ways to overcome these attacks and strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ"

How can we overcome strongholds? By getting the knowledge of God's Word in us and by renewing our minds with His word. (John 8:31-32)

We can use the weapon of the Word of God to overcome strongholds by abiding in His word and asking for revelation and inspiration from the Holy Spirit. 

We have more weapons than just the Word. We also have prayer and praise. Praise defeats the devil quicker than any other battle plan, but it must be authentic heartfelt worship. Praise and worship confuse the enemy. is also a great weapon that can be used at anytime. 

God never loses a battle! He has a definite battle plan and when we follow it, we will always win! When we take our position with God on our side we will see  the enemy's defeat! God allows trials and temptations to come our way and many will come especially when we are tearing down strongholds. However we are not alone! 

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it.

I shared some of this from a book that I just started reading and it already is such an incredibly learning experience. Its called Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyers. I highly recommend it and I am only on chapter 2!!

Devotion :)

A devotion from Pastor Mark of Calvary Chapel Phoenix!

"I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness; let us exalt his name together. I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears." Psalm 34:2-4

Fear surrounds us and at times it paralyzes. There is fear of people, fear of situations, fear of not being in control, and fear of the future. You might be asking, "What does the future hold? What does my relationship hold?" Maybe someone you know and love isn't walking with the Lord or you are praying for your parents and you wonder what will happen.

God is saying, "I don't want you captive to your fears. I will deliver you!" Because of David's fear he ran right into more danger. Because of his fear, he got himself into a much more fearful place. Do you see how fear can spiral? First, you're a little afraid, you get more afraid, and your fear continues to grow and expand.

David said, "God, I am scared!" So, God heard him and delivered him from some of his fears? No, God delivered him from all of his fears. God doesn't want you living in a state of fear.

David continues this psalm writing:

"Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles." Psalm 34:5-6

This is a great Scripture to highlight and make notations around. I'm of the opinion that a worn Bible is like a good friend. You will be able to find things when you need them and pull Scriptures like this out when you need it. If you don't want to mark in your Bible, then at least write topics down in those back empty pages—topics like fear, worry, anxiety, and joy. Put some of these things in there so when you need them they are there. This is medicine for your soul and you need to know where to find it when you need it.  

A Devotion from Greg Laurie that I really enjoyed!

What Makes a Christian?

	And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.

—2 Corinthians 11:26

I once went to a children's ministry event at our church dressed up as Noah. No one knew it was me, which made the whole experience a lot of fun. I was pretending to be someone I really was not. I was playing a little game, actually.

There are people today who do the same thing with the Christian faith. They pretend to be something they really are not.

So how do we know whether someone is a Christian? "It comes down to what they believe," we might say. There is truth to that, but that is not all there is to it. You can believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He is the only way to God, and that He is coming back again and still not necessarily be a Christian. Now, if you are a Christian, you will believe what I just stated. But just because you believe that in and of itself doesn't necessarily make you a Christian.

We may say, "Well, a Christian is judged by the way he or she behaves." But that is not necessarily true. You can pray, keep the Ten Commandments to the best of your ability, attend church regularly, and even be baptized and not necessarily be a Christian. Those things should be a part of your life if you are a Christian. But those things, in and of themselves, don't make you a Christian.

It is not enough to be exposed to the truth. You also need to act on it. You need to make a choice. It means recognizing that you have sinned (see Romans 3:23), turning away from your sins, and trusting in and receiving Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior. That is what makes you a Christian.

Mawwage is what bwings us together today...

In a world where marriage is slowly loosing its value, God has been showing me what a precious gift,  marriage, actually is. He is also showing me how much it will be worth it if I follow His plan He has created for me and to wait for His timing. Ever since I can remember being able to think, I have always wanted to get married and be a mom.  That was my dream as a little girl, a teen and still as a young adult. my plan was to get married after high school but once again God has had a different plan for me and it has been amazing. Its a little difficult because my boyfriend and I have been dating a little over a year and we do plan on getting married, however not until he is done with school and thats not for at least 3 years. That isn't really my ideal situation . I was really frustrated at first because people around me thought it was crazy to wait since we already know we want to get married and to be honest for a while I thought it was crazy too. It was hard for me to to think about. I thought it wasn't fair for God to be keeping my dream from me and letting people around me have it who were doing it differently then how I thought it should be done. Then God showed me something really awesome and it has really just gave me peace about waiting. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 it says
"He has made everything beautiful in His timing." Realizing this doesn't mean I am going to get married sooner because I think my timing is His timing but it does comfort me and remind that God has a plan for me. Plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Another really cool thing He has shown me is through my friend, Jessica, that waiting for marriage is a picture of God waiting to be united with His bride, the church.

Revelation 21:2 "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband."

The anticipation and excitement I have to marry Hayden is how God feels while He is waiting to be united with us but even to a higher level, which I can't imagine. Its still not easy especially since I feel everyone around me is getting married. I know that sometimes the wait will feel like an eternity but God is already teaching me so much and it hasn't been that long so I can't wait to see what else He is going to show me over the next couple years!! 

Hayden and I at a wedding

The Wedding Girls