Fight for it!

LISTEN UP. I’m Talking you. Who? Me? YES YOU, AMANDA. I know myself, my heart, my desires, my struggles…   so this is for me, whenever I start to fall short of the following verses…re-read this. For the sake of pleasing the Father.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. 2 For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. 8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

Am I a Christ follower? Yes I am. Should I conduct myself in the world differently? Yes I should. How bout in my relationships? What about sexual purity? I will be frank with myself, I have a hard time possessing my own vessel in sanctification and honor, like it says in the verse above.  I know it’s all truth, but do I really think I can pick and chose which ever part of the Bible to obey?  Whenever I stray from being sexually pure (even in thought) I am like the Gentiles, who don’t know God! What exactly is sexual immorality? This phrase "sexual immorality" (porneia), means mainly fornication – that is, two people acting as if they are married when they are not married. When God calls you to himself, he justifies you freely by faith in Christ on the basis of Christ’s blood and righteousness, and he calls you to a life of holiness, which in this context refers explicitly to sexual purity. This is the practical fruit of justification by faith.  

So many times I try to justify what I do because I want to do it. I don’t care that i’m compromising God’s commandment. But if I start to ever find myself thinking down that path, think of this instead: I ought to walk and please God, and sexual purity pleases God. It also is the will of God and Christians love the will of God. Christlikeness means that we delight to do God’s will (Psalm 40:8; Hebrews 10:7). A few more things, hold on there. The incentive of honor; controlling your body in purity is a matter of honor. The incentive of Christian love which seeks the good of others. Sexual purity is the loving way to treat others. Oh, lets not forget the incentive of God’s vengeance. Make sure your sin will find your out…God will not have his child take part in sin…

I NEED TO BE SEPARATE,  BE SACRED, BE HOLY. Whenever I’m alone with my thoughts, alone with the tv, alone with my boyfriend, THINK….IS GOD PRECIOUS? Is he precious to ME? The battle is great, but HE is right there. Do not take part in the destruction of my soul…PRAISE the  LORD when I overcome a temptation. This is real, I know it is.

Listen me, make seeking God and sexual purity an obsession. I know I’ll throw away any misgivings when faced with the temptation of immorality, but that doesn’t mean I’m not disobeying God.   I need to actively get a method to avoid this that works! What can this be? KNOW GOD. Know that he is a patient, forgiving, Powerful, and Precious, and I should delight in pleasing Him!

Down the Hill, then up

Love is blinding.

I'm sitting here wondering, "what happend?!" I'm in a daze, a fog, a fake world. "This is only a dream"..i say to myself pondering when I'll wake up from it. "Cant I just leave things the way they were?" I mutter to myself as I pace back and forth in my office. I toss my hands up in disbelief. "Why? Why did I do that? I can't give up now?!" I loved where I was at. And so I continued to convinced myself. I thought to myself, "something is lacking. a tenderness." However I cant help but remember all the times he has been there for me, supported me and made me purple cows. Now my day seems at a loss. Where did the sun that kissed me awake go to? I am under a rain cloud. 

 At first I didn't know which way to go. Oh how I struggled within, how I fought the inevitable. Even though my heart is stirred with emotion at this point, I am confident in my decision. But back and forth I did go. Should I give up the most amazing gift God gave me for fleeting doubt? But if that fleeting doubt kept creeping back accompanied with feelings of disapproval, then perhaps it's not so momentaneous. Can't I just take the good with the bad. And believe me, there was alot of good. Enough to draw me, keep me, and give me a trust that it was right. But...there was some bad too. I am not simply running away from the bad. I am chosing not to compromise certain qualities I deserve and need.

My Savior, My God, help me to be understanding. Give me a heart to serve others, to help, to cherish and love. I pray I can be the kind of friend I want others to be for me. Allow me to be a vessel used for your glory. I pray I won't use my current cirsumstance as an excuse not to shine for you. Use me no matter what. Despite any misunderstandings, Jesus help the other side to come to a realization that my intentions are sincere, and although extrememly difficult for me to accept, I trust it is for the better. Lord I seek your face now, help me to see your will now and furthur down the road. Guide our steps as we figure out our life and what to do.   Help me to realize that a time will come when fulfillment is met. Heavenly Father, may you fulfill me now, and always. I deeply cry out that you forgive me, please forgive me. Reveal your goodness. Show me my heart for what it really is, and how I really need you. I need YOU

New and Improved!

Press On

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Philippians 3:12-15

The number one complaint of people struggling in their marriage is the lack of focus and fervency. Women say things like, “Man, what happened to you? You used to be so thoughtful. Where did that guy go when we got home from the honeymoon?” Men say almost the same thing. “Girl, you could not keep your hands off me when we were dating! Where’s all that?”

The very same thing can happen in our relationship with the Lord. I wonder if He would say to any of us, “Those first days were so great. You loved Me, and you loved My Word, and you were so fervent; you wanted to grow. So what happened? Where did that person go?”

If you’ve known the Lord for a while, you may have set the cruise control and are thinking: I’m happy with my spiritual life where it is. I’ve got the major stuff in place. Oh, there might be a little tweaking to do over the next few years, but for the most part I can coast into heaven. How tragic! Whoever thinks that needs to get their focus and fervency back. We have not yet begun to plumb the depths of all that is ours in Christ. We must maintain the same passion . . . and even more passion than what we had when we first came to Christ.

When Paul wrote Philippians, he had been walking with the Lord for decades. Still, he said, “Not that I . . . am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (3:12.) “I haven’t arrived,” he said. “So I’m going after more! I’ve got a lot of growth ahead of me in my relationship with Jesus. I’m going after it!”

So where does that leave us? I know that I haven’t arrived . . . but I’m pressing on! I want the highest and the best and the most God has planned for me in Christ Jesus. Don’t you want that too?

Difference

How do you know if your comprising/settling or just taking the good with the bad? How do I know if when I'm going through some doubts I should persevere though or it's is it God trying desperetly to alert me to get out of that situation? If something is unsettled within, or bothering me, should I continue on hoping it wont be that big of deal, or should I take that as a red flag? I wish I knew the answers to these. I need to seek counsil as soon as possible.

I am a Christian. A Christ Follower. I should not respond or react to situations as though the world does. In fact, I should welcome any trials or obstacles through my day. Why do you ask? Because!....I should seize those situations and make them into opportunites to show how Christians are different. I am to be set-apart. If I find myself living the same way as my non-christian friend...then I'm in BIG trouble. God not only saved me, but He desires that I change into the likeness of Him; which is completely contrary to the world's way of living and responding to life. True, my non-christian friend might not read the Bible and I do, might not pray before meals which I do, but it's more than that. I need to display the fruit of the Spirit that glorifies God. I need to put off all malice and envy, put on a heart of thanksgiving and patience. So when stressful situations happen during my day, relax...God is with me...He's dwelling in my heart! There's NO need to panic, to get snappy, or become rude. Take that time to show humility, peace in heart, understanding and love.