Today’s Quote: “Give God your plastic beads, and he will give you pearls!” –Cheryl Brodersen
I feel so honored and blessed to be able to speak into your life the way that God’s allowing me to.
I know that you can relate to so much of what I’m saying.
I know that you can relate to so much of what I’m saying.
But all of us have questions and doubts and there is so much that is unique and personal going on inside of you, that I could never even dream of trying to address it. We ladies deal with so much in the realms of abuse, trauma, neglect, not to even mention just the normal female stuff.
We need Jesus, ladies! Oh Lord help us, do we need Jesus.
We need a father/lover/perfect guide to take the weight that we carry and steer us in the direction of our greater purpose.
God wants to be that for you. He wants you to give him your life.
We need Jesus, ladies! Oh Lord help us, do we need Jesus.
We need a father/lover/perfect guide to take the weight that we carry and steer us in the direction of our greater purpose.
God wants to be that for you. He wants you to give him your life.
What is standing in the way of you and Him?
Maybe you grew up going to a church, or maybe you've never stepped foot in one. Maybe you're someone who has very strong opinions about faith and God, or maybe you are more open.
Whatever experiences you may have had, or opinions you may have formed, today I want to challenge you to take a fresh look at God, who he is, and what he offers.
I'm not going to go through a bunch of scriptures or a theology lesson. I just want to talk about the most everyday things that I think stand between Him and us.
I'm not going to go through a bunch of scriptures or a theology lesson. I just want to talk about the most everyday things that I think stand between Him and us.
Time Out: I realize that my views may sound simplistic to a lot of you. And I am well aware that the things I am about to list assume a certain core belief system. And with that, it may sound as if I'm not even acknowledging the fact that there are many people who believe in multiple Gods, or no God, or a different God than the Christian faith. Like I said in the intro- I don't expect everyone to believe the exact same things I believe- I'm not an idiot. But this blog is not about defending my faith, or trying to make everyone feel comfortable with my terminology. It's about cutting right to the heart of our matter, and finding freedom in Jesus Christ.
So what are our hangups?
1. Where is God?
I think that a lot of people associate Jesus with a spiritual or a church experience, or think of Him as this sort of far away mystic being.
But the truth is that Jesus is there for us in the most normal, everyday ways that you can imagine. And He is there for any and every person the instant that they are willing to acknowledge Him. (Romans 10:9)
You do not need to know anything special, do anything special, or be anywhere special to approach Him. You just simply call on Him with your heart, just like we were talking about on Day 4, and He will be there. He will meet you right where you are at. (Matthew 11:28)
But the truth is that Jesus is there for us in the most normal, everyday ways that you can imagine. And He is there for any and every person the instant that they are willing to acknowledge Him. (Romans 10:9)
You do not need to know anything special, do anything special, or be anywhere special to approach Him. You just simply call on Him with your heart, just like we were talking about on Day 4, and He will be there. He will meet you right where you are at. (Matthew 11:28)
2. Christians!
It's no secret that there are a lot of huge stereotypes and negative connotations associated with the word "Christian". In fact, Christians were one of my biggest struggles in coming to have my own relationship with God. Maybe it's the same for you.
Maybe for you Christians just come across as too conservative, or too judgmental, too boring, or just too damn self-righteous!
Maybe for you Christians just come across as too conservative, or too judgmental, too boring, or just too damn self-righteous!
Whatever it is, if you are identifying Christ with a person, that’s a very important thing to recognize.
Jesus is not the people who make up the church. Those are just regular, flawed, opinionated people just like you and me (Although I do realize that pride and self righteousness can be very ugly). But at the end of the day it would just be downright stupid for us to let those things stand in the way of our own search for truth and what is best for our life.
I can honestly say that now that I am more secure in my faith, peoples' flaws (Christian and non) no longer bother me like they use to. Because people are no longer the source of my security and happiness, God is.
And I've also come to find that there is a whole world full of incredibly smart, amazingly talented, and really cool Christians, once I was willing to look beyond society's narrow scope.
3. Fear of what God will do with your life if you give it to him.
I want you to imagine for a minute that you are right smack in the middle of a huge maze.
I want you to imagine for a minute that you are right smack in the middle of a huge maze.
There are thousands of turns and dead ends all over the place.
At the end of this maze lies your perfect destiny.
The place where you are a fully alive, effective, beautiful and confident woman. The place where you were perfectly designed to be, living out exactly what your personality and your being were created for.
All that you want is to reach that place, right?
But there are people shouting from every direction which turn you should take next, and which way to go to reach that place. And they are all saying different things, so you’re not sure who to trust.
Do you trust your best friend?
Do you trust your Mom?
Do you trust your heart?
I mean, who can even know where a major decision will ultimately lead you? These people are just as shortsighted as you are.
One of the first things that I came to learn about God after desperately giving my life to Him, was that He knew how to get me to that place. And He wanted to!
I had finally found a guide who I
could trust wholeheartedly. The only one with a complete aerial-view of my life,
and the only one who knew perfectly how to guide me. Lovingly, patiently,
steadfastly, and omnisciently, giving me abundant life and leading me into my
destiny.
Did you know that that’s where God wants to bring you?
Why do we have him so wrong?
Why do we have him so wrong?
You were not made for something boring and unfulfilling! Judgment and restrictions are not what this is about.
People do that to us, not God.
You were made for something great and exciting. Your heart knows it.
But you are not gonna find that perfect thing, girlfriend, until you give your hand to Jesus and allow him to lead you there.
People do that to us, not God.
You were made for something great and exciting. Your heart knows it.
But you are not gonna find that perfect thing, girlfriend, until you give your hand to Jesus and allow him to lead you there.
It’s like getting to put down a big heavy rock that you’ve been carrying your whole life and never realized that you didn’t have to carry. I really can’t even express in writing the message that my heart wants to relay to you, but the word that just keeps coming into my mind is, free.
You can be free in ways that you didn’t even know it was possible to be free.
- Free from carrying all of the crap (yours and other people’s) you’ve been carrying.
- Free from the nonsense that a lot of people spend their whole life wrapped up in.
- Free to live the life you were created for. Your own custom-made thing.
You have a calling! You have access to territory that you didn't even know you had access to! Does that get to anybody else like it does to me?
Girlfriend, God had something in mind when He crafted you the way that He did, and it is good.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11
Listen sister, I need you to hear this, feel this:
Nothing in your life that is happening right now is an accident.
You can drive your self crazy thinking about all of the “what if’s…” But you know what? It is God’s very hand that has stirred up your situation because he has bigger and better plans for your life. In essence, he is saying “ENOUGH! I’m not going to let you, my precious child, be hurt and damaged anymore! I want you back.”
Nothing in your life that is happening right now is an accident.
You can drive your self crazy thinking about all of the “what if’s…” But you know what? It is God’s very hand that has stirred up your situation because he has bigger and better plans for your life. In essence, he is saying “ENOUGH! I’m not going to let you, my precious child, be hurt and damaged anymore! I want you back.”
He wants you back.
He wants to nurture your spirit back to life with his love and care, and He wants to put you on the path to your perfect destiny. And as hard as it is, sometimes He just has to remove you from a certain situation because there are people in your life that can’t go where He wants to take you. It is that simple. And, yes, it is that personal.
Are you willing to yield yourself to something so much greater, for something so much greater?
Are you willing to let Him make you all that you were made to be?
It starts with a relationship with Jesus. And that is something that is so personal that I can’t even begin to try to steer you on how to come before Him, how to talk to Him and how to seek Him. But I do know He’s there. Waiting for you to call on Him right from where you are.
Today’s Dare: This is my salvation message the best way that I know how to give one. Don't listen to what I tell you to do today. Listen to what God is stirring in your heart to do. Ask Him and sit and listen. And if you are willing, give Him your life and ask Him to take over!
