Holiness is what I long for...

OK, here's an awesome song to get things set up! Holy by Nichole Nordeman. I love, love her and this is and awesome song!!! 

That song literally blows my mind every time I hear it, no matter how many times I listen to it. Yes, God had big plans for this song!!! Love it. 

Alright, today the topic is, you guessed it!, holiness!!! Being holy. 

"For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy." Leviticus 11:44

We are called to be holy by the Lord God Himself. It is a command, not a request. As Christ followers, we MUST sanctify ourselves and be holy. Obviously, we can't be holy on our own. We have to have the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish such.

 However, that doesn't mean it's alright for us to just do whatever we want because we've already received grace; we're already safe, so it's ok for us to just walk this earth with no sense of preservation of mind, body, or spirit. As Paul teaches in Romans 6:1-6, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin."

Nope, not gonna fly. We have to make choices, each and every day, about what we see, hear, and experience in order to live a holy life. This includes making the choice to give up certain t.v. shows, movies, music, books, magazines, etc., and even the people we spend our time with. 
       "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" 1 Corinthians 15:33

I think that pretty much says it :)

We must make ourselves holy. Christ, in all His holiness, died for us. "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21
I urge you to recognize the things in your life that corrupt your good character. Recognize them, and then take the steps to get them out of your life. If we don't do this, we are just like the rest of the world, and we are called to be separate and sanctified. In the world, not of it. Christ did not hold anything back - He made the sacrifice of all sacrifices knowing we would still sin against Him, knowing we would reject Him and His gift of love and salvation. And He even went so far as to resist temptation. Christ is holy, and as "little Christs" we too must be holy. 

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness our of reverence for God." 2 Corinthians 7:1

"So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify  the desires of the sinful nature." Galatians 5:16

"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:25

"Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 

"You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24 

"For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." Ephesians 5:8

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Philippians 4:8

"Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus." Hebrews 3:1

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and He will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.[...] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:7-8,10

"But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do." 1 Peter 1:15

All You ever wanted was all of me, on my knees, singin "Holy, holy!" Somehow, all that matters now is You are holy, holy......


much love & thank you for visiting! 

Treasure in Jars of Clay

First, a song from Jars of Clay!! Which, yes the band name does go along with the theme verse and title for this post, but I didn't pick this song until after I chose the verse and title, and it was amazing how well this song fit with what I have to say and with the verse I chose, which is also something I stumbled upon while flipping through my Bible.

So, let's dive in here....

It seems to me that when there's sin in our lives or tragedy happens around us or life becomes frustrating, etc, everything all seems to become chaos all at once. It seems to never be in small doses.

Lately I've been struggling with doubt, among other sins, but this one in particular. I have had such little faith!! And I look at myself and think, my goodness. How can you not trust God? The one who formed all things without lifting a finger. The One who holds my life in the palm of His hand, who knew what each day would hold before a single one came to be. And it seems that every time I have struggles and strife in my life, this same verse finds it's way to me (yes, the Holy Spirit is always at work!!):

                           "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
                                                                     2 Corinthians 4:7-9

HE is in control, not us. HE has the power, not us. HE protects us and watches out for us; HE gives us the strength to persevere and carry on throughout the struggles of life. He will not let us be crushed, in despair, abandoned, or destroyed! He will uphold us, keep us strong, and carry us through the fire. No matter what that "fire" may be, you can bet your boots that God will see you through to the end.

Love and Blessings :)


1 Peter 5:10-11
"And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

1 Peter 5:6-7
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.CAST ALL YOUR CARES UPON HIM, BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU."

Philippians 4:6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, and with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will protect your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 1:6
"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

1 Corinthians 1:8
"He will keep you sting to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Corinthians 12:9
"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"

Galatians 6:9
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Ephesians 3:16-19
"I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Philippians 4:13
"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Psalm 37:4
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Love Takes Wing

Some of you know, though many of you probably don't, that I've currently been reading the Love Comes Softly Series by Janette Oke. Let me start by saying how absolutely wonderful and touching these books are!! I'm down to the last one, Love Finds a Home, but I just finished Love Takes Wing.

Now, Love Takes Wing was not my favorite one of the books. Don't get me wrong, it was a great read and I enjoyed it, but it just wasn't my favorite one of the series of books. And if you've not read the books but seen the movies, they're absolutely nothing alike so you can't go off the movies and know what's taken place in the books. Very disappointed at how far they ventured from the real story-line when they made the movies. Good movies, but absolutely nothing like  the books!!! But anyway, moving right along...

Love Takes Wing was a very good book and, like I said, even though it wasn't my favorite, I really did learn much from this book. Especially at the end. Belinda, the youngest Davis child and the protagonist of Love Takes Wing, is realizing how much she has put God on the back burner in her life. Upon her realization, she withdraws to her room and has some alone time with the Lord "crying out to a forgiving God." Indeed He is forgiving and loving, and I'm so glad, because like Belinda I know I intend to do the same. I've had so many different emotional/spiritual troubles lately. And then when I read that part of the book, I realized myself how much I've placed God on the back burner in my own life, skipping out on reading His word, not attending Sunday fellowship in Sunday School and worship service, and only praying right before bed and only for a couple of minutes, nothing in depth. I'm not spending enough one-on-one time with the Lover of my soul, the One and Only that deserves all my attention and affection. My prayer now is that I will get back on track in spending time with the Lord and in attending "Sunday go-to-meetin'" :)

True joy comes from God. We will only find it in Him. Nothing and no one in this world can give us the joy and satisfaction Yahweh can provide, that only He can offer and fulfill. We must seek Him, and with all out hearts. Then, and only then, will we find true joy, peace, love, fulfillment, and satisfaction.

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

"As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:9-11

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."1 Corinthians 3:11


Much love, many blessings, and thank you for visiting!

What Keeps You from Following God?

First, a word from the Skit Guys!

http://skitguys.com/videos/item/what-keeps-you-from-following-god

What does keep you from following God? I know fear usually plays a huge factor in what keeps me from following God. Fear of what others may think, fear of failing, fear of things that could go physically wrong like disease, injury, etc. But 1 John 4 tells us this:

              

                    "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him.[...] There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear."

So why should we be afraid to follow God?

What keeps us from following and serving God? I challenge you to ask yourself this question, along with other hard questions such as: Why do I let this keep me from following God? What can I do to overcome this obstacle that keeps me from following God? Do I need to cut certain things/people/places out of my life in order to follow God? If so, what steps do I need to take to get to that point? And most importantly: Will I do what I need to do in order to follow and serve God? 

As you ask/answer these questions, be honest with yourself and be honest with God. First of all, He already knows your heart so there's no point in being anything but 100% honest with Him. Second, be honest with yourself because you're not really getting anywhere by not. 

Following God means being a sacrificial servant. Being sacrificial means giving up things even when we don't want to, even if we think it's harmless. This includes how we spend our time and who we spend it with. This includes the movies we watch, the music we listen to, the books and magazines we read. Every area of our lives is included. As Christians, we are called to be holy and sanctified. 1 Peter 1:15 says, "But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do." In ALL you do. Once again, don't lie to yourself about areas in your life you should be giving up so you can follow and serve God correctly. ALL things we do, hear, see affect our hearts in a big way, even if you think "it's just a little bit." 

Christ said, "and anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (Matt. 10:38-39)." 

Christian, I implore you, take up your cross today. Lay your burdens down at the feet of Christ and follow Him. 

Much love!

Thank you for visiting! 

Grace that is greater than all our sin...

Most of us let our sins keep us from serving, whether from the past or from 5 minutes ago or anything we've ever done. I know for me the sin from my past has kept me from taking the big steps. I've always let satan tell me, and convince me, that I wasn't fit for the service of God's kingdom because the sin in my past was too ugly. I was too dirty, too unholy, too unworthy. And I am, but Christ certainly is not. He died for me so that my sin would be washed away. He came and made me clean so that I CAN be fit to serve Him. Because it's not about me, it's always, ALWAYS about Him. And that's true for all of us! I think too often we forget that's it's not about what we've done, it's about what He did on the cross to make us clean so that we can worship Him forever!!!

All that being said, watch this video by the Skit Guys, because it's really, really good!!! :) here's the link:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhoFEuw2GPA&feature=relmfu

Much Love! Many blessings! Thanks for visiting!