Dying to Self

      I've learned a lot over the years about dying to self daily. From little things, like reading to your siblings while making dinner, or big things, like, getting up early with your husband, so that he can have breakfast and coffee before he goes to work. However, I'm still learning... there are days, when, I just don't want to get up from bed and make breakfast. There are some days, when, sleepiness and laziness gets the better of me, and I don't want to do anything all day long, except sleep, and  relax. That's not life though. I have to constantly remind myself to put others before myself. We're reminded in Philippians 2:3-4, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but  also for the interests of others."

     On the days that I feel like doing nothing, or sleeping in really late, I have to pray to God to ask Him to change my heart. To put my God and my husband first. To not be selfish.
     The other day, when my husbands alarm went off, I was so tired that I didn't want to get out of bed. I literally couldn't open up my eyes... so with my eyes half-way opened, I walked downstairs to make his breakfast. After I kissed my husband goodbye, and went back to bed; I realized that I hadn't been very joyful that morning. I sent him a quick text asking for forgiveness for my lack of joyfulness that morning. Josh called me a little while later and told me that he didn't think that I wasn't joyful but that he appreciated me asking for forgiveness. He's not a morning person either, and so he gave me encouragement to just be in prayer about it on a daily basis. He's an awesome husband! ;)
     Dying to Self daily can be so hard and tiring at times, but in the end, it's all worth it! :) And when you serve others, you serve Christ. :) In what ways do you feel like God's grown you in this area? What are some Bible verses that have helped you to serve Christ daily?

     "Then He said to them all, if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and Follow Me..." ~ Luke 9:24
     "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." ~ Galatians 5:24

Valentine's Day and Hearts Desire's

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” ~Psalm 37:4

   
     Valentine’s Day.  You love it when you have someone to love, and you hate it when you don’t.  Valentine’s day means something different to everyone.  To some it is just a lame Hallmark holiday, to another it a great opportunity to shower the one you love with admiration. To many, Valentine’s Day is another reminder that you’re alone. And to others, it's a great reminder that Christ was the first one to love us... after all, we love because He first loved us. (1st John 4:19)       For this Valentines, I am blessed to spend it with my fiancé, but it wasn't long ago that I remember wishing, hoping, and praying that the Lord would send me the one HE created for me. 
     There were many days I was tired of waiting, sick of crying, and wishing I didn't feel so lonely.  I’m sure there are many that are alone and can’t relate, but others that may be saying, “YES! I know the feeling!” So to those people, this is for you.  This is my story.   
      Some days were amazing as I learned God’s fulfilling love, but there were many days that the enemy would lie to me that I would never find someone to love me, my standards were too high, etc...  Almost daily I had to renew my mind to the truth of God’s word and cast down lies that I would never get married, no one would love me, and so on. 
     When fear would take over, I had to imagine myself walking down the aisle. I would renew my mind to God’s word and speak these scriptures out daily:   
      “Lord, I thank you that your word says in
 Psalm 37:4 that, “You delight in giving us the desires of our hearts.” Your word promises us that, “You withhold no good thing to those that love you.” –Psalm 84:11. I thank you that marriage is a good thing and you will bless me with this gift of marriage. Psalm 18:22 says that, “A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”   
      It’s been just 5 months since the day I met Josh and I now have a ring on my left hand to signify our soon-to-be life together.  I truly believe God created marriage as a good thing.  The Word says, “It is not good that Man should be alone; I will make him a helpmate.” –Genesis 2:18. “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.”-Ecclesiastes 4:9. 
       I pray that my story encouraged you today, wherever you are in your journey.  The Lord cares so much about every detail of your life.  He put the desires in your heart.  The more that you seek Him, the more You'll want Gods will, and desires. Don’t try to get ahead of God by trying to figure out how it is going to happen.  Trust that if He created this earth and everything in it in such intricate detail, that he has your life planned and figured out.  It will be beyond anything you can ever dream, ask, or imagine.  Our God is so faithful! :) 

 

Preparing Single's for the Future

It was after church service last summer, and I found myself holding a precious little treasure in my arms. This treasure was about 6 months old and she owned a pair of blue eyes that I'm sure could steal anyone's heart. In my conversation with one of the moms, I mentioned just how much I desired to be a mother of my own precious little treasures one day.

She began to reply, and I was sure she was going to give me the "contentment speech." You know, "be happy and serve God where He has placed you and in His time He will bring along 'Mr. Right'." Thing is, I am truly happy with my life; I feel full. I only want the next phase when God says it's time. Overall, I am content. But she surprised me--she didn't discredit that desire, instead she encouraged me. She told me that those were God given desires and she truly believed He would fulfill them. It was neat to hear that. It was so different for that desire to be affirmed.

Like any girl, I've carried big dreams about my knight in shining armor. I've known some girls to write very extensive lists on what they want their husbands to be. Oh sure, it'd be nice if he could sing and play instruments well, if he were a good writer, spoke several languages, was romantic, and was really athletic--the list could go on and on. But what my heart has craved and my prayers have echoed is that he would be a passionate lover of God; that he would have a dynamic relationship with the Lord.

For if a man loves God--truly loves and follows after Him and has a humble and teachable spirit, then everything else will fall into place. No, he won't be perfect, he will fail just as much as I do. We won't be perfect, but we will grow and learn together. That's part of the beauty of it.

Occasionally I would put myself in the place of the kind of man I would like to marry and make a list of the kind of woman he would want to marry and then I work on those things. Do you desire a man of prayer? Become a woman of prayer. Do you desire a man that meditates on God's Word? Start meditating! What about a man that is involved in ministry? Become a woman that serves and ministers to those around, in her own neighborhood (I'm writing as a girl to girls, but it works the same way reversed).

We can daydream, we can wish about our Knight in Shining Armor. But would we be the kind of woman he is looking for?

And this doesn't only apply to our "spiritual side." Wouldn't the man of your dreams appreciate an organized house and a well-cooked meal?

It really boils down to this: become the kind of person you'd like to marry.

No, we won't be perfect--we'll fail. I can promise you that. But the season of singleness is so precious. We are given such a precious gift from God. We have time to prepare, time to develop our walk with the Lord, time to reach out to others... If you'd like somewhere to get started, Proverbs 31:10-31 has some great pointers. *smile

Verses 10-12 says:

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Will we do our husbands good all the days of our lives? Even before we know his name? Are we preparing for him, being faithful to him, and building a foundation of trust now?

That's where I was last year, before I met Josh.-to become the woman my Knight would be seeking for. And truly, if we are living fully for Jesus now, obeying Him, seeking His face, loving Him and allowing Him to change us, then we will become the person our spouse needs. As we focus on Christ and lose ourselves in Him, I believe everything else will fall into place.

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