Brother, or Lover?

How do you view guys? Do you see them as a Brother (in Christ) or a Lover?
It's an easy thing to slip into doing the second one, as seeing each guy around our age, a potential 'lover'.
I want us to be honest with ourselves, even when it's painful. Let us ask ourselves this question, and give ourselves a true answer. You don't have to share it with anyone else, besides God, of course, but it's important to know where your motives come from.
When we're walking through a store, and we see a guy that we think is not so bad looking, do we see him as someone we could 'have a crush on' or a brother in Christ?
I, just like the next gal, don't always catch myself to think of every guy as a brother in Christ. And that's where it needs to start. We need to first see every man as a brother in Christ, and if God desires something more to become of it, than it will, but we are then comforted with the knowledge that he was first our brother in Christ, and we held no impure notions about him.
By our own will we cannot just switch our thinking. It's not going to happen just like *that*. It is going to have to come from the Lord. Our strength comes from the Lord, and this is also considered a strength we need, in my opinion.
Today we treat our emotions, and feelings toward the opposite sex as if they are nothing, really. They don't matter that much, do they? But they do. This is a area we need to be daily praying about and for. We need to hand over the key to our King, and let Him guard our hearts and emotions how He desires to. It isn't up to us alone. But through Jesus Christ our King. He will take care of us, and steer our thoughts to Him, if we let Him. And it will be something that we have to work on too, because Satan wants our minds pulled away from the Lord. But "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." which is found in Isaiah :)
Next time you look at a guy, ask God to let you see him how the Lord sees him. Let's surrender all to God, and count it gain.

Just to inform you...

I realize I haven't posted like I said I would be doing, but don't worry! I am getting a post ready, that I should hopefully have posted in a day or two!
God's blessing be upon you!

There's a new site, you might want to check out...

Hello gals!
A reader of this blog, has asked the LOV writers to share about a site that she and her friend have started, by the Lord's prompting. The link is:
http://unfadingelegance.blogspot.com/

I checked it out myself, and it looks like a very nice and helpful site! I encourage, and ask you all to just take a minute and stop by! Thank you :)

Don't Walk Away

In this life, this spiritual battle, we mustn't and indeed cannot walk away. The Lord calls us to be holy servants to Him, to live a life fully devoted to Him. And if we are to do that, we can't walk away when the going gets tough. But, as I've found out, it's easy to walk away without even realizing it. In fact, 'walking away' can simply mean, not giving God all our focus - not all our time. I'll admit, I 'walked away' recently. Something or someone [ =)] was getting a lot of my time, focus, and thoughts. I fear that this something or someone was taking more importance in my life. I had to repent for it. I had to get down on my knees and ask for His forgiveness. Every time we fall, God is always right there to pick us up again. What a wonderful, and grace-filled God He is! Satan has really been pulling at me lately - as well as some close acquaintance. But God can pull even harder if we let Him. Don't walk away from Him, try with all your might to stay on track. Even when the evil one whispers many lovely-sounding things in your ear.
Pray for that holy armour of God. He will grant it to us, His children.

I Apologize...

Hello girls :)
I'm very sorry for the lack of posts on here of late! I haven't had much spare time to write anything, and therefore the blog is not very up-to-date on posts.
But I will try to get some more things written to post very soon, and hopefully, God-willing LOV will be 'back to normal' so-to-speak :)
May God bless your day!

Devotion


Why are we here, but to serve You? Yes, to serve You with our whole heart joyfully. Unto You, not unto men, I serve You, O God, my fortress. Let me never be ashamed.

Take a moment today, and devote yourself to the Lord. Give Him your time, and your full devotion. You won't regret it!
God bless your day!

Proverbs

This following bit is from my 'prayer' journal, that God gave me one day. I hope it blesses you!


"Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool." --Proverbs 10:18

Proverbs is such a wise book, filled with wise things.
I'm reading through Proverbs at the moment, and this verse stuck out to me. Lets first discuss the first part. Whoever hides hatred has lying lips. Satan has us over look this verse and it's meaning. e all know hatred is a horrid thing, but we still hide it, thinking that if no one knows our hatred about something, it can't be as bad. So without thinking, we often hide our hatred. But this is just as horrid in God's eyes. We need to completely do away with hatred, so that there is no hidden hatred either. Daily we have to relinquish any hard-feelings/hatred we might be holding. Give it to Him, and turn away from the sin.
I know hatred is a strong word, and so maybe we don't think we hold all that much hatred. But any form of bitterness and/or anger is the beginning of hatred. I know that I personally need to work on giving it up to God, for He is the only One who can take it.
Now, to the second part. Whoever spreads slander is a fool.
This part also convicted me. Slander is the same as gossip. That means we are all fools. I know I gossip from time to time. Thinking about it sickens me. How many letters have I, and others spread gossip in? How much of our conversations are filled with slandering? Too many. If it is abominable to the Lord, it should be abominable to me too. I need to come to despise gossip and slander as He does, so I don't fall prey to it. And of course I'll need to give it to God daily, as well. We're human, and have a sinful nature. But with God's help - with God's everything, not just help - we can stand against the devil and his deceitful ways.
Stop waiting for something to change, and help God fight this war.

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed to good confession in the presence of many witnesses." -- 1 Timothy 6:12

Hidden in My Heart {Part 1}

            Accurately memorizing verses, chapters, and even whole books of the Bible, is how God’s Word becomes hidden in our hearts.  Why should we hide His Word in our hearts?  That we may be better witnesses, able to wield the Sword of the Lord with skill.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Psalm 119:11

            How wonderful it is to have a verse pop into your head when you’re about to give into temptation.  If you have a specific problem in one area of your life, than memorizing a verse that is applicable to that problem will really help you to resist temptation.

Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.   Psalm 119:133 

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:   2 Timothy 3:16 

            Everyone has a different way of studying and memorizing verses.  I have found that saying it out loud is the best way for me.  Putting a verse to music is also an excellent way to memorize the Bible.  My mom used to do that with my brother and I.  We’d pick a verse to memorize, and then come up with a happy little tune to go with it.  It was fun, and we learned the verse much faster than we normally would have.

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.   Titus 2:15 

I encourage you to pick a verse, a chapter, or even a whole book, and memorize it.  A good place to start might be one of the gospels, or perhaps one of the Psalms, or one of Paul’s letters, like Titus.  Don’t be discouraged if it seems hard at first, or if it seems like you’ll never be able to memorize an entire book.  The more you exercise your brain, the easier it will be to memorize long passages of scripture.

In Part 2 of Hidden in My Heart, we'll take a look at how to use our Sword when under spiritual attack.


Giveaway!

     The great part about this giveaway is that you are all winners!
Yep! You read it right!
May we introduce to you a free book:
 NO LONGER A SLUMDOG
by K.P.Yohannan
from the back of the book:

Asia’s Children Tell Their Stories in No Longer a Slumdog


“He would lock me in a small room with the animals. Days turned into weeks, and my stomach would growl. He never gave me enough to eat,” said Nadish. “Weeks turned into months, and my body would ache. The work was hard, and there was never enough time to rest. Months turned into years, and I began to think that this would never end.”

 But through a miraculous event, Nadish found his way back into the loving embrace of his mother. Dr. K.P. Yohannan’s newest book, No Longer a Slumdog, unveils the true-life accounts of many of South Asia’s children, like Nadish. The message hits hard. He speaks of “winds of change” and a powerful move of God.
The children’s stories tell of going from a life of heartache and poverty to finding joy, laughter and a bright future. Despite the affliction these children face, Yohannan shows us there’s opportunity for change as many find new life in God‘s redeeming love.
No Longer a Slumdog inspires faith that a better tomorrow is truly possible.
This is a book that every American should read! Spend a few hours in an slum town by reading this book and your life will be changed!Especially great for those who are interested in mission work!
CLICK HERE to order your free copy of No Longer A Slumdog!
(free shipping,too!)

Do not withhold it.

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, 'Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,' when you have it with you."
  --Proverbs 3:27-28

God has given each of us the power to reach out to people and help them in whatever way the Lord directs us to do. When a brother or sister in Christ is in need of anything, whether that be food, clothing, or simply just godly fellowship and/or council, if you have it, do not withhold it from them.
If we shut the door on a neighbor, we are shutting the door on Jesus Christ Himself. He gives the power to reach out to others and help them, and so by not helping them, we are not only shutting the door on Christ, we are shunning His gift! Do not be the one to shun the gift. But be the one to accept and share.
You could do a world of good, if you only accept.

Pretty Feet --- Guest Post by Schlyer

The ladies in my family like to keep their toenails polished and maintained. All of my friends do too. We paint our toenails all the colors of the rainbow. I grew up painting my great grandmothers toenails and to this very day when I see her they are always polished. It is not just my family and friends. America likes pretty feet. Watching commercials will further prove this. We have the Ped-Egg which removes dry skin and Dr.Scholl's has a variety of gel pads to take pressure off of the feet and prevent corns and bunions. We have a 20 billion-dollar a year manicure/nail care industry in the United States. The Bible describes beautiful feet to us in Romans 10:

"14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

For our feet to be truly beautiful in God's eyes we have to spread the good news and tell others about Him. In Biblical times, lots of traveling was done by foot and many of Jesus' disciples' feet were likely to be cracked, split, and have an array of other issues. In God's eyes their feet would look a whole lot better than many of our "polished piggies" right now because they constantly made their feet into tools for spreading His word. Use today to take the first step (no pun intended) towards making your feet a little more beautiful and share God's word with someone.
--Schy
http://southernschy.blogspot.com/

when you are feeling discontent...

^She knows nothing else. Not even that Jesus loves her.^









"While the World is Mortal."

A few weeks ago, as I was praying, the Lord strung a few verses together, little pieces, and this is how it came out:

"Take your eyes from looking at worthless things, and keep your eyes and mind on things above, not on things earthly. For above is the prize and here on earth is the race.
Set aside the sins and traps that so easily ensnare us, for we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. Let us not tarry and fall short of the prize. For the prize indeed is eternal, while the world is mortal."

Sisters, please, let us keep our mind focused on the prize! Let us run this race on earth with all endurance, looking forward to that Day!
Don't tire from the race. For it is a race set before us by our heavenly Father. If He designed for us to run this race, then we must run it with all joy and dedication. Jesus Christ is running right along side us. Is this not cause for joy enough? Remember why we are here: to the glory of God. Share His word, His love, give Him the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Word Amen

I was writing a post just a moment ago, and I had put the word "Amen" at the end. And I wanted to just say that I put it there, for what I feel it means. "Let it be done". I don't say 'Amen' as in a closing of prayer, because I don't want t ever be done. But 'Let it be done' is how I view 'Amen'.
So when you read the next post (notice I say 'when' ;)) know, that the usage of my 'Amen' is like saying 'Let it be done'
Have a beautiful day in Christ!

Happy Fourth!

Happy Fourth of July to you readers!
May you have a blessed day, celebrating our countries independence!

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance." --Psalms 33:12

The Joy of the Lord

"...the joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10b

Those words have been running through my mind for several weeks now, reminding me to be joyful in all things and to rely on Him for the strength to keep going.

Sister Sites~#5


Another site that started the same time as LOV:
About SOTCL:
  Open hearts, devotion and loyalty, laughter, refreshment in His Word, late-night prayers, nature walks, shared memories...There is so much joy through fellowship and friendship with those who abide in Christ. To live our lives as one in Jesus Christ is one of life's richest blessings....bound together through the unity and desire to live for His smile alone.
   What started with two girls coming together to praise their King and to lift up His holy name soon grew to become a Bible Study with more kindred hearts.
  His hand is in everything and it's such a privilege to see Him at work in and through our lives. God continues to show us more and more as we come together in Him to read His Word and to praise His name. He continues to refine and mold us more into His image, and it has been and continues to be one of the most exciting and breathtaking adventures!

So let us praise!

Jesus says in John12: 27 - 28
"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour?' But for this purpose I came to this hour. 'Father, glorify You name."

And though He is saying that for His own purpose, we can learn and live by it as well.  Instead of being anguished that we are in troubling times, we need to think that we are placed in this trouble for one reason or another. Perhaps it is to grow stronger, or perhaps so that we can know God will get us out of it, as only He can. His name should be glorified always. The Lord will do astounding things in us, if we only let Him. He wants to be glorified, so let us praise!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's day!

"And He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers.." -- Malachi 4:5

We thank God for fathers, for placing them above us! The Lord gave Dad's a very important role, and may
He be glorified in it and let us honour our fathers today!

Seek Ye First

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:25-33

Are we worrying about tomorrow or are we trusting Him for our every need?

Are we seeking His kingdom first or running after the "treasures" of the world?

So calm down

"The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, who are among you, to whom reproach is a burden."  - Zephaniah  3:17 - 18

It is so easy in life to get worked up about little things. To worry over trifle matters. We think "I just can't deal with it any more!" but we don't have to.  The Lord our God is in our midst. He will quiet us with His love. He will calm us with His peace. He will bring us comfort.
The Lord is peace, love, serenity. And He desires the best for us, which means not to get all frazzled constantly, about things that don't matter. This world does not matter.  What you do with your life, does. Think about it. When Jesus was on earth, did He get all worked up about His days being so full with people that needed healing? No! And shouldn't we want to be just like Him? Isn't He our ultimate role model? Our lives are so easy. Yet we rarely take the time to realize this. I need to be reminded of this often. This world and the things of the world do not matter. Our relationship with the Lord is what matters the most.

The Rebellious House

"Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house."  Ezekiel 12: 2

Let us not become rebellious, in our hearts or in our minds. For it is of the sin of witchcraft, which the Lord does hate, as the Bible says.
We have eyes, let us see. We have ears, let us hear. Don't become as the rebellious house, with which the Lord will deal with in His timing.
Let rebellion be far from us, that the Lord may deal kindly with His servants.

Self-pleasure is vanity

One morning, as I was reading my Bible, God gave me a set of verses, and thoughts that I wrote down, and decided to share them here, in case they might help someone else, as they did me :)

"I said in my heart, 'Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure'; but surely this also was vanity. I said of laughter - 'Madness!'; and of mirth, 'What does it accomplish?'
I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives."  Ecclesiastes  2: 1-3

When we give in to pleasure for ourselves, it displeases God, for it is vanity. By my acts of self-pleasure (day-dreaming, along with other things...) I was only causing grief to my Lord. That has been what has been causing me illness; my indulging in pleasure.
"I'm sorry Lord. I don't want to gain the whole world, if it means losing my soul."
When our pleasure is in God,  everything else will come together and also bring us joy. But when worldly pleasures come first, we will not have our greatest pleasure in the Lord. Even though it is difficult we - I - must act out this, so I may come back to God. As I said to ---- this morning, uphill is always harder.
It is easier to go downhill to our earthly pleasures, than it is to go back uphill to where our greater pleasure is.
But I will make it back uphill to renew my greatest pleasure, where my joy truly lives; with my Savior.
'For what is life if not for Me?' (that coming from God)
"So Lord, I give up my entire being to You, and will strive to climb that hill back to You. I'm sorry for going downhill so fast. My life is Yours. Into Your hands I commit my spirit." Amen.

Sister Sites~#4


For this month,another fairly new site...
Photobucket
                                      All Things Lovely is...
A place to dwell on all things lovely, pure, and true, as Philippians 4:8 instructs us to do.
 A place to cultivate deeper intimacy with Christ.
A place to discover the beauty, grace, and joy to be had each day.
A place to connect with like-minded set-apart girls.
A place to encourage and be encouraged by your set-apart sister in the Lord.
A place to share all that makes your life lovely.
A place to share how the Lord captivated your heart.
A place that challenges you to cherish each of life's sacred moments.
A place to discuss and reflect upon all that makes up the set-apart life.
A place to find resources that will encourage you on your journey.
Take a visit... http://www.dwellonlovely.com/

A Letter from our Lord

My dear child,
 This is your Father, the King. Though I may seem far away from you at times, know that you are never alone, and I am always waiting patiently for you to come back to Me. Yes, it is you, not I, who has chosen the separation that often comes between us. I await you with open arms, greatly desiring to have you back in my embrace and care, once again. Day after day, I wait for you, watching you, to see if maybe you will chose Me today, instead of the other things that repeatedly ensnare you, and capture your attention, if only for a moment. I am not angry with you, My beloved. I am saddened, as any parent would be. I still will wait patiently for you. But please, My child, spare Me the grief and come back to Me. I love you more than you can comprehend. Come back.
I am always here.

        Love,
           your Father.

Watch & Pray

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Mark 13:31-37

Are we watching?  Are we ready for the Bridegroom when He comes?

Let us not sleep, but watch and pray for His coming!

Marriage

There is a wedding in my family that is taking place the same day this will post. And with this beloved union, it causes me to think about our union with Christ.
He is our Groom. We are His bride. We've all heard that before, of course, but I wanted to go a little deeper on it. Especially now with the experience of wedding preparation.
When you plan a wedding, you take extra intricate care, with each little detail, making sure that the brides day will be splendid and perfect. Memorable. You start the preparations the minute that the couple are engaged, and have their wedding day picked out.
Now let's switch it around to our marriage to Christ. When we accepted Christ, we accepted Him as our Groom. And therefore, as with earthly weddings, we should be preparing for our heavenly wedding, when we will be united with Christ again. That will be our wedding day.
We should be preparing our lives, taking extra intricate care with each little detail, to make sure our lives line up with how our Groom wants us to live. And only then, will He accept us as His bride.
We think that our heavenly marriage to Christ, is just a cute, fanciful, romantic idea; not truly real. If we did think it was truly real, would be living our lives the same way? No! We'd be devoting all our time to Him, Who called us to Him. Getting to know Him more, so we can please Him more. Spending more time in His Word, because that is His story. If an earthly groom had a book all about him, the bride would be pouring over it, wouldn't she?
You must think the same way of our marriage to Christ, as you would an earthly marriage to a man. Christ is the ultimate Groom. We need to strive to be the ultimate bride for Him.
When He comes for us, will He find we did the preparations right, and made sure everything would be perfect for that Day? Or will He come and see us wasting our time on other unimportant things?
Will you be His ultimate bride?

From waiting to warring.

We, as young ladies, are usually expected to 'wait'. Wait for our future husband. Wait to be a housewife. Ect. ect. We can get very caught up in that life style. But God has been revealing to me, that the period of waiting is over. We need to prepare.
The Lord needs strong warriors for Him, and who better than us, young ladies, with hardly anything better to do?! We have this time, in our life, that is a long stretch of years, in between two stages; Child hood, and marriage hood. Most call it, the teenage years. I want to change that to, the defining years. What you do with these years of your life really do matter!
Most of you have noticed how bad the world is turning out, haven't you? It's because...well, where is God in the peoples lives?? They don't let Him in. They shut Him out.
As I was praying this morning, and getting almost frustrated, with what He wants me to do now that I have established that I am in a learning season, and He showed me, that what a great opportunity I have with this site alone! I know God wants me to be reaching as many people as I can for Him. And this site can be one of those tools. So, there may be more changes in the future.
We need to put aside our sewing and reach for our swords, so-to-speak. This is a battle. A real spiritual battle. And God needs us young ladies on His side, fighting with His strength.
We need to arm ourselves. Ephesians 6: 10 - 20 explains it perfectly. Go read it. We are in an age, where bluntness is needed to win others to Christ. No more stepping on tip-toes, worrying whose feet you'll hurt. God expect  each and every one of us to be strong warriors for Him, to realize the seriousness of this life, and the next life.
I think that the time of waiting has come to an end, and the time of warring has just begun. Who knows when the end of the world will be. It's not ours to decide or know, but we should be prepared, and not be blindsided.
Think of your life seriously. Consider where you want to end up. Consider whose side you want to fight on. There are two. No in between.

Tomorrow

How many times have we told ourselves, and God, that "We're just too busy to spend time reading the Bible today. I'll do it tomorrow."
But what is there isn't a tomorrow? What if there isn't another chance to read your Bible, and spend one on one time with our Saviour?
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." That's in Proverbs chapter 15 verse one I think.
We do not know what a day may bring forth. We do not know for certain that there will even be another tomorrow!
Why are we wasting today, worrying about earthly objects, when we should be preparing for our lives as Christian Soldiers?
The truth is, we don't know when Jesus Christ is coming, but the Bible even says that we must be watchful, lest we get left behind. He could come today, He could come tomorrow, or maybe He won't come in our life time. Either way, we must be prepared. This is a serious matter, and how we live our life today, will show us how we will live after our bodies fail us.
Think about it; what are you going to do today?

The Seasons of Our Life

*Re-posting as Blogger deleted this*

Where I live, in beautiful North Idaho, spring has finally arrived!
I'm so thankful that God created seasons not only in nature, but in our lives.

There are so many seasons in our lives, and, although they aren't always pleasant, we can learn and grow from each one.   God uses the trials and troubles in our lives to shape and mold us into the image of Christ...if we let Him.  That's hard sometimes.  Some seasons are hard, very hard, and it would be so easy just to give up and say, "this is too hard, Lord!"  But if we trust God, and ask Him to strengthen us, He will give us the strength to press on towards the prize. 
It's not just about getting through the day - it's going through our day with joy and peace, for God's glory and honor, by His strength.

When I start to feel overwhelmed, and as if I'm at the end of my strength both physically and mentally, these verses help.   They remind me to ask God for the strength and the grace to go on, to get the job done.

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.  Psalm 18:2 

It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.  Psalm 18:32 

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  Psalm 27:1 

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.  Psalm 73:26

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.  Philippians 4:13 

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  Galatians 6:9

So, if you're feeling tired and discouraged, don't give up.  Ask God to strengthen you.  He will give you the strength to to go on.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Ecclesiastes 3:1-7

Have a lovely day, ladies!

A verse and some thoughts

James 2:9

"But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors."



You commit sin. That shook my heart. How many times have I shown partiality? To people, to animals, to things, to things to do with my spare time. Too many times I have done this. My sin is large in number. But my number of sins is wiped away, by asking these 3 words, "Please forgive me."

Whom am I asking to forgive me? The Lord of course. For He is the only One who can forgive my sins completely. He already has.

But this verse is quite clear, I think. God gives us rules to live by, to make our lives a joyous one, and most important, a glorious life when our bodies die. This verse only shows one of these such rules. It did shake me.

I'm obviously not pointing figures, or judging, because it's first of all not my place, and second of all, I am just as guilty of it. But please, take some time to search your heard, and think on this verse.

Happy Mother's Day!!

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." -- Proverbs 31:28

Have a beautiful Mother's day, and may you always remember what a blessing Moms are!
:)

Not known for us.

"All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal to Him." -- Luke 10: 22

When Jesus Christ was on earth, He was not known to be the Son of God. There are many verses and passages that straight that He didn't want others to know just exactly who He is. By that He shows us how to be humble. He, Jesus Christ, Lord of lords, wasn't always recognized for what He did, and assuredly He did miraculous things! Then, by His example we should also be humbled, and give up our present life-style to follow in His footsteps; to give up who we are on our own.

The Lord is our Strength

For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Psalm 18:29-34

Two things in these verses jumped out at me...
  •  God is our strength,
  • and He will give us the strength we need for every situation in life.
I have a problem with controlling my tongue - it's not an uncommon problem. 
Proverbs is full of verses about bridling our tongues, so it seems to be something that a lot of people struggle with, even in Biblical times.

However, I often get so discouraged when I say something I shouldn't, or say it in a sarcastic or rude way.  I absolutely despise my tongue at times, but it seems like I keep doing the same thing over and over again.

What encouraged me today was that if God can give me the strength to leap over a wall, or bend a bow of steel, then He can give me the strength to control and conquer my tongue.

I mean, I'm not much of a jumper - I can't even jump the pasture fence or get on my horse bareback without several tries.   I'm fairly strong, being a farmgirl, but I know that I can't bend a bow of steel!
Yet, God says that He will give us the strength we need, even to do those seemingly impossible tasks.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 
Romans 8:31   

All we need to do, is ask.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Matthew 7:7-8


Movie Review --- "The Perfect Stranger"

"The Perfect Stranger"


The man told the lawyer he was Jesus Christ. The lawyer decided to call his bluff.
Nikki Cominsky is a successful attorney - troubled by the fact that her life isn't perfect. One day, a mysterious invitation shows up on her desk that reads, "You are invited to Dinner with Jesus of Nazareth." Thinking it's a prank, she shows up - only to find herself in the middle of a whirlwind evening of debate and revelation - with the most unforgettable man she would ever meet.

My Mum viewed this on a Christian channel, and told us we just had to watch it; it was so amazing. She rented it from the library so we could see it, and goodness. Last night I watched it with my parents. It is such a...great movie. So much is involved, that I'm not sure if I was able to take it all in. It challenged me.
The girl, Nikki, asks all the questions a christian, and non-christian alike would ask, and they are answered so extremely well.
I really recommend this movie, and ask that you would think about checking it out. It is well-worth your time.

Not my will, but Yours be done.

We get very caught up in our own wills. I know I have. God gives us free will. He gives us the choice to choose. What a gracious gift! It really proclaims His ultimate love for us.
But sometimes, I often wish that He didn't give us free will. It can make it so much harder to follow Him completely.
Though God grants us free will, He beseeches us to die to self, die to our own will and follow His will.
1 Peter 4: 1-2 says,
"Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God."
And the last verse in the same chapter, verse 19, says, "Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good as to a faithful Creator."
There are so many other great verses on our will and God's will, that I could go on with them. But I think that might get a little overwhelming. :) Anyway.
The will of God should be our will too.
"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count then as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death." (Philippians 3: 7-10)

Pride often gets in the way of giving our will to our Lord; admitting to our Savior that we were wrong, and sinful in His eyes, and His will for us.
"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide to spoil with the proud." (Proverbs 16: 18-19)
We want to have our own will, to have our own rights, because after all, "It's only fair!"
But when we think about it, in the grand scheme of things, what will it do for us when we die? When we come before our Lord, will He say to us, "Well done good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." (Matt. 25: 23)
Or did we let our pride and will get the better of us?
What does this life matter to us? Why do we care so much on how we look, who we are on our own, and how many friends we can have? Should not Christ be our main identity and our only? Wouldn't you rather be picked out of a crowd  because of your identity of a obedient follower of our King?
"What is this life, if not for Me? What is it worth? I came that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly. Why do you quiver in fear and pain, when I Am the light, life, and salvation? What is your life to you, if it is not for Me? Where would your joy be, if not in Me? What is the worth of life, if not to bring glory to your King? What is this life to you, when it is not for you; but for Me? Live for Me My child, and grow in Me. I will strengthen you and uphold you with My righteous right hand. There is no fear in Me. There is no pain in Me. Run into My outstretched arms. They are always open to you, My dear one. Because, what is life to you, if it is not for Me? It is nothing."
(Words from God.)

How important will we let our own will and self-gain become to us?
We are in a battle; a spiritual one. And we cannot turn a blind eye to it any longer. Give up all to God, and He will give all to you.

Psalm Thoughs -- Guest Post

~ Psalm Thoughts ~
"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. " {Psalm 107:8-9}
     Isn't this an amazing passage?! If it doesn't seem like much to you, let me just share a few thoughts I had, while reading it, with you.
     The Psalmist obviously thought people didn't praise that Lord enough, because starting out a sentence with the word "Oh" is like starting out with an exclaimation point~ "Oh"! Read it with a strong emphasis on that word.
      David wanted us to remember to praise the Lord, not simply because it's a good habit to get into (although it certainly is), but because the Lord is so good to us!! We should be praising Him because we are aware of His wonderful works and are grateful for them. If you are truly grateful for something, you will show your gratitude~ one of the ways to show gratitude is praise.
      For example, when someone does something really nice for me, I will brag on them to other people~ I will say how say how sweet and considerate they are, or I will simply say how much I love them. Bragging on the Lord and telling others how much we love Him is a form of praise! How come it is that when a human being does something nice for us, we praise them, but, sadly, we lack in how often we praise the Lord for all the wonderful things He has done for us?!
     The next verse reminds us that whatever we long for, can be found in the Lord. It doesn't say that "...he might satisfy the longing soul..."~ it says, "...he satisfieth the longing soul..."!!! If we long for something, turn to the Lord~ He will satisfy it!!! (It just might not be in the way you think He will! *smiles*)
     The last part says the Lord fills the hungry soul. I like to think that if I am craving hope, joy, love, or faith, the Lord will satisfy that craving. Do any of you know what it's like to really, really crave a certain food?!?! And then what a satisfied feeling you have upon eating that food?!?! This is what the Lord desires to do for us...tell the Lord what you are hungering for, and then allow Him to fill it!
    Lastly, our Father doesn't just fill that hunger with any old thing!!! In His amazing love and grace, He fills it with His goodness! Imagine being filled with His goodness for a minute...what comes to mind? For me, when I imagine such a thing, I am filled with all things lovely and desirable.
     Are you still reading that verse in the same light?! *smiles*


~Bekah W. http://www.fsatatpress.webs.com/

Sister Sites~#3


Presenting........
RUBIES LIKE RUTH!

About Rubies Like Ruth: "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." (Proverbs 31:10, KJV) Today, there is a sad lack of young women who strive to become virtuous. God sees a virtuous woman as being of much greater value than rubies, yet few young women attempt to walk the path of purity that will help them to press towards this goal. Their desire is that “Rubies Like Ruth” will become a valuable resource to help young ladies as they allow God to shape them into precious rubies that will bring glory and honor to His name. Now head on over to  http://www.rubieslikeruth.blogspot.com/




He is Risen!

Hallelujah! Today is a glorious day. One to be spent praising and glorifying our risen Savior!
I've been reading each gospel's account of the Passover, the crucifixion, the empty tomb and the resurrection, and I really want to encourage you all to do the same. Each passage is found in:
Matthew chapter 26 through chapter 28, Mark chapter 14 through chapter 16, Luke chapter 22 though chapter 24, and John chapter 18 through 21.
I also think it is neat, how that account ends each of those books.
I considered posting one of these accounts, telling of the magnificent story that never grows old, but there is so much to it, that I wouldn't be able to for various reasons.
One thing I do want to add, as you read through those books, is something that Jesus Christ 'told' me that made reading through them, even more fascinating, and...amazing.
"I didn't die on the cross that others might believe, but to die for the sins of the nation, to save them from eternal damnation. That is why I came. That you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly, free from sin that would plague you, if it were not for Me. I came to save you from sin."

I could continue on, posting my personal thoughts and words about this special holiday, but instead I am just going to let you read on your own, and form thoughts of your own.
May the Lord be ever present in your life, now and always!
He is risen indeed.

The {Scientific} Death of Jesus

(not for the faint-hearted.)

At  the age of 33,
 Jesus was condemned to the  death penalty.

 At the time crucifixion was
the "worst"  death.  Only the worst
criminals were  condemned to be crucified.
Yet it was even  more dreadful for Jesus,
unlike other  criminals condemned to death
by  crucifixion, Jesus was to be nailed to 
the cross by His hands (wrist) and feet.

 Each  nail was 6 to 8 inches long.

 The  nails were driven into His wrist.  Not 
into His palms as is commonly  portrayed.  There is
a tendon in  the wrist that extends to the shoulder.   The 
Roman guards knew that when  the nails were being
hammered into the wrist, the tendon would tear and
brake,  forcing Jesus to use His back muscles  to 
support himself so that He  could breath.  

 Both  of His feet were nailed together.  Thus  He
was  forced to support Himself on the single nail
that  impaled His feet to the cross.  Jesus  could 
not support himself with  His legs because of the
pain.  He was  forced to alternate between  arching 
His back, then using his  legs just to continue to 
breath.   Imagine the struggle, the pain, the 
suffering, the courage. 

 Jesus  endured this
reality for over 3  hours. 
Yes,  over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of 
suffering?  A few minutes before He  died,
Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply  pouring water
from his wounds. 

 From  common images
we see wounds to His hands and  feet and even the spear wound to His
side...   But do we realize His wounds
were  actually made in his body.  A hammer 
driving large nails through the wrist, the  feet overlapped
and an even large nail  hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard
piercing His side with a spear.   But 
before the nails and the spear Jesus was  whipped and
beaten.  The whipping was  so severe that it tore the
flesh from His  body.  The beating so horrific that His 
face was torn and his beard ripped from His  face.  The
crown of thorns cut deeply  into His scalp.  Most men
would not  have survived this torture. 

 He  had no more blood to bleed out, only water  poured from His wounds.
The  human adult bodycontains about 3.5 liters
 (just  less than a gallon) of blood.

 Jesus  poured all 3.5 liters of his blood; He had three  nails hammered
into His members; a crown of   thorns on His head and, beyond that, a
Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His side..

 All  these without mentioning the humiliation He  passed after carrying
His own cross for almost 2  kilometers, while the crowd spat in his face
and  threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of  weight, only for its
higher part, where His  hands were nailed).

 Jesus  had to endure this experience, so that you can 
 have free access to God. 
 So  that your sins could be "washed" away.
All of  them, with no exception!
 Don't  ignore this situation.
 JESUS  CHRIST DIED FOR YOU!
 Do not believe  that He only died for others
 (those who go to  church or for pastors, bishops,  etc). 

  He  died for you!  
Accept  the reality, the truth that
JESUS IS THE ONLY  SALVATION FOR THE WORLD.
God  has plans for you, show all your friends what He experienced to save you.Now think about this!Have you thanked Him recently for what He has done for YOU?
P.S. feel free to post this on your own
blog or email it to friends! (just copy and paste it into a blank email or new post!)

Looking unto Jesus

This excerpt from Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon was so encouraging to me, and I want to share it with y'all in the hopes that you too will be encouraged.
 
.....   ~   .....   ~  .....
 
"Looking unto Jesus." - Hebrews 12:2
 
It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ.  He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus."  All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort of assurance by looking within.  But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self he tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all."  Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee - is is Christ; is is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee - it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument - it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith.  We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.  If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "looking unto Jesus."  Keep thine eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to Him; when thou liest down at night look to Him.  Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail thee.
 
"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name."
 

Have You Let Him In?

He\

My heart is like a house
One day I let the Savior in
There are many rooms
Where we would visit now and then

But then one day He saw that door
I knew the day had come too soon
I said, “Jesus, I’m not ready
For us to visit in that room

‘Cuz that’s a place in my heart
Where even I don’t go
I have some things hidden there
That I  want no one to know”

But He handed me the key
With tears of love on His face
He said, “I want to make you clean
Let me go in your secret place.”

So I opened up the door
And as the two of us walked in
I was so ashamed
His light revealed my hidden sin

But when I think about that room now
I’m not afraid any more
‘Cuz I know my hidden sin
No longer hides behind that door

That was a place in my heart
Where even I wouldn’t go
I had some things hidden there
That I wanted no one to know

But He handed me the key
With tears of love on His face
And He made me clean
I let Him in my secret place

Is there a place in your heart
Where even you won’t go
Do you have some things hidden there
That you want no one to know?

But He's handing you the key
With tears of love on His face
He'll make you clean....
Let Him go in your secret place.

"The Secret Place"
               -by Michael Booth

Our final love.

How many times have we, as young ladies, dreamt about our future marriage and husbands? How many times have we thought of how perfect it would be, because it would be brought together by God? Even I have done it, and I don't wish to be married. But we do it just out of habit. It's what girls have been doing forever. The Lord showed me last night, that I may not ever be married. I wasn't too horribly sad, because I often would rather not be. But what else He showed me, made me cry out of amazement and complete adoration. I was to be His bride forever. He wants me completely to Himself. As He does with every young maiden. But He also understand the desire in us to be married, and many of us will be married, because the Lord delights in you and in the things you delight in. I think marriage is a splendid thing. The Bible talks about it a lot. It is sacred. I am so happy for those who have a wonderful, loving, God-foundation marriage. I am thrilled that my older sister will soon have that. But sometimes, the idea of marriage takes our minds off Christ. Off the main reason we live for. The Lord wants us to have Him as the center-attention, continual focus. Always. He wants to be our greatest love ever. I find that so amazing and comforting! The Lord also showed me some other neat things. As I was feeling a bit down, because I wanted flowers from someone - anyone. He showed me that He gives me flowers all the time. I just don't often take the time to realize it. The Lord is our first love, our lasting love, and our final love.

Truths of Jesus Triumphal Entry

 29And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
 30Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.
 31And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
 32And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.
 33And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt?
 34And they said, The Lord hath need of him.
 35And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.
 36And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.
 37And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
 38Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
 39And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
 40And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
 41And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
 (Luke 19:29-41, King James Version)

(Now, if you are like me and tend to skip over Bible passages in blog posts, go back up and read it carefully.)
 Truth  1).(verses 30-35)Imagine riding on an untrained horse or pony,that has never been ridden? I wouldn't try it! The people  marveled at Jesus! I believe His riding of an untrained ass was a foreshadowing of his power over death. No one else would have dared to ride that donkey,but Jesus had power over the donkey,just as He has power over the grave! He has the power to help you through whatever you are facing,you just have to ask!
Truth 2).(verses38-40)The people were praising Jesus,and the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke them. Too often,we are like the Pharisses.We don't praise Him as we should. Next time you hear some birds chirping,join them in singing praises to the Creator to keep the rocks silent for one more day!

{M.Q+A-3}...Favorite Quote(s)?

{Each month ,I will post a question and allow readers to give their answers in a comment.
Thanks for participating!!}
What is your favorite quote?
 You may leave a link to your blog in the comment if you would like! This is open for any Christian female readers,so feel free to share! We'd love to hear from you!! Share as many quotes as you would like!

Mary or Martha?

The Lord brought this article, which I wrote a couple of summers ago, to mind this morning and I thought I'd share it with you ladies.
.....
My mornings are usually pretty busy.  I try to do as much outdoor work in the cooler morning hours as I can, although I don't always succeed in getting out that early (I'm not a morning person:).  Often times, I don't get around to reading my Bible until almost lunch time.  I know there's no real set time when you have to read your Bible, but it seems like early morning is the best time for having quiet time with the Lord.  The world's just waking up, and everything is still and peaceful.  But I was letting my chores, busy work, computer, reading, etc. interfere with my quiet time.  I was trying to justify it too, telling myself, "I have to get these things done.  I'm sure God understands.  He probably doesn't really mind when I do my Bible study, as long as I do it."  I even thought several times, "He's probably really proud of me right now, doing all of these chores first thing!"  But...I wasn't putting Him first.  I was being a Martha, to concerned with my chores and duties to sit at Jesus' feet.   To caught up in the warm fuzzies of getting my chores done first thing to spend the first part of my day with Him.

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Luke 10:38-42

There's nothing wrong with serving others and getting your chores done, but Jesus should always come first.  My prayer is to be a Mary, instead of a Martha, sitting at the feet of Jesus.
This lovely hymn seems to sum it up best...
 

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,
Oh, what words I hear Him say!
Happy place! so near, so precious!
May it find me there each day.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,
I would look upon the past;
For His love has been so gracious,
It has won my heart at last.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus,
Where can mortal be more blest?
There I lay my sins and sorrows
And, when weary, find sweet rest.
Sitting at the feet of Jesus,
There I love to weep and pray,
While I from His fullness gather
Grace and comfort every day.

Bless me, O my Savior, bless me,
As I sit low at Thy feet.
Oh, look down in love upon me;
Let me see Thy face so sweet.
Give me, Lord, the mind of Jesus;
Make me holy as He is.
May I prove I’ve been with Jesus,
Who is all my righteousness.
 .....
Many blessings,

Hoping continually and Praising His name

I felt the need to post about hoping continually. So I found a verse that said that, and in the rest of the verses were so uplifting and praiseful. I want to share them here: Psalm 71:14-24 (New King James Version) "But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And Your salvation all the day, For I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side. Also with the lute I will praise You— And Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, And my soul, which You have redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long; For they are confounded, For they are brought to shame Who seek my hurt. " Now think about these verses. Doesn't it just make you want to rejoice and praise Him? I love it! We need to be talking about His righteousness all the day long. You know that song "And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.."ect.? Well I want to be known as a follower of Jesus Christ, by my actions, my words, and my love. I want to get to the point where all I speak about is my Lord. Where only praises come off my lips. Not gossip, or mean things. Or even worthless things. I want to hope continually and praise continually. Don't you?

Falling in Love {Part Two}

{Be sure to read Part One first.}

I believe that one of the biggest problems with the concept of purity is that it always goes hand-in-hand with waiting. So many times, when I am talking with friends on the subject, the term “I am waiting for my Prince…” is exchanged.
I too have used these words for a very long time, thinking it was a beautiful concept. But recently, the Lord has convicted me of what they really meant. What the word 'waiting' really meant. Here is one definition—

Waiting—
Do nothing expecting something to happen -- to stay in one place or do nothing for a period of time until something happens or in the expectation or hope that something will happen.

For so long, I was trapped in the mindset of thinking that waiting was the only road to purity. But in fact, waiting is the surest way to stumble on your journey of the heart. Each one of us is designed with feminine desires. Desires that must be filled. For so long, I thought that I could suppress these desires, assuming that I could wait. I kept on telling myself “I am going to wait for my Prince”. -- And each time I told myself that, I felt as if I was failing.

Failing because I still desired fulfillment, but I didn't know where to find it. All I had ever read on the subject of purity said that waiting was the only way.

One beautiful afternoon, a few weeks ago, I found that I had a few quiet moments to myself in our backyard. I was sitting on our swing, just swaying back and forth. And at that moment, I felt the need to open up in prayer – “Lord…. Why is this becoming so hard? All I have ever known is waiting. It seems that is what every Christian young woman {I know} is set on doing. Why am I finding it so hard to just wait?”

It was then, that I received the answer that I think so many young woman hunger for. It was at that very moment part one of ‘Falling in Love’ was inspired within my heart. It was at that very moment when I realized that the Lord didn't design us to wait. He didn't create us to “Do nothing, expecting something to happen.” He didn't design our hearts to be empty spaces. He designed us with the desire to be loved and cherished. And He designed us to fall in love.

Ladies, I believe that so many of us are so focused on waiting, that we are missing out on the bigger plans the Lord had for these single years. For so long, I thought waiting was what the Lord was calling all of His daughters to do. But, now I believe otherwise. I think it is so important to realize that He is not calling us the impossible task of waiting, rather, He is giving us the opportunity to experience the most fulfilling relationship, and the loveliest romance of all time – that of falling in love with Jesus Christ.

Dearest Sisters, He is asking each one of us for the first dance. He is pleading with you to know, love and trust in Him. He longs to love you, and to care for you. -- If you will only let Him. If you will only know Him as your heavenly Prince. Then, and only then, will your desires be truly filled too the utmost. 

.... As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So shall your God rejoice over you.
Isaiah 62:5
Ladies, let us never again say we are just waiting. Let us never again fall into the mindset of thinking we are to wait. Instead, let us use these years as a time to build up our love for Jesus. These are some of the most valuable years of our lives, let us use them to strengthen our convictions and faith in the Lord.

Don't think of these years as an endless wait....
but rather an endless romance with your Heavenly Prince.
By http://www.johanna-an-old-fashioned-girl.blogspot.com/