Transition

The last few months have been a time of transition for me. I've had to cut off relationships that weren't healthy, ditch a lifestyle, finish up my sophomore year of college, get ready to move into my first apartment, make new friends... Everything I've known my whole life has been turned upside down and it hasn't been easy.

I've had a really hard time trying to figure out where to go and what to do. I've felt so torn. Part of me didn't want to leave what I've grown up with, and the other part of me felt like I needed to. My heart has been physically hurting from trying to decide what my next step in life should be. I've been praying for God to give me clarity on what to do and for him to just lead me to where he wants me to be. Until tonight, it still wasn't clear.

It's 3am, I logged onto Twitter before going to bed, and a tweet from Darlene Zschech (one of the greatest worship leaders of all time) came up on my newsfeed. It said,

"Don't let your heart get caught in the PAST of transition, but dream and be inspired for all that the future holds."

This was the clarity I've been asking God for.

I finally feel okay with where I am now. I no longer feel like I'm not being loyal, I don't feel like a traitor, and I don't feel bad... I know this is where God has called me to be. As hard as it's been to accept all of this change, I now know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God has directed my steps to exactly where I am today. I still have a long way to go in this journey, but I know that he holds my future in his hands. He's blessed me with some awesome people to do life with, and I am forever thankful for that.

I don't deserve any of this and it continues to blow my mind daily of how blessed and favored I really am by him. Thank you, Jesus.

Just a reminder...

God loves you more than you could ever know. No matter who you are, what you do, what you've done, where you're from, what you believe... He loves you sooooooo much. I used to think that there was no way God could still love me after all the crap I've done. I didn't even love me! But the awesome thing is, I was so wrong. He loved me at my darkest, and he chose me when I didn't believe. And the same goes for you.

play it out

I stole this from Steven Furtick's blog, but I think it's a good read for anyone struggling with temptation! His blog can be found here: http://www.stevenfurtick.com/personal-development/play-it-out/

There’s a simple exercise that can reorient your perspective for any struggle or temptation you’ll ever face.

One of Satan’s greatest weapons is to get you stuck in the moment. The moment of your pain. Your trial. Your temptation. He freeze-frames your current situation and makes you forget everything that you have to gain from it. Or everything that you have to lose from it.

When you face these situations, the best thing you can do is get out of the freeze frame and fast forward to the end. Take a moment and play it out.

Play out your struggles:

If I suffer…I’ll get more reward.

If I experience pain…it’s not worth comparing to the glory awaiting me.

If I die…I’ll be with Christ.

Or on the negative side, play out your temptations:

If I do something unethical…I’ll lose my job.

If I look at porn…I’ll lose my ability to see God clearly.

If I have an affair…I’ll lose my family.

Yes, it’s simple. But it can make a profound impact on nearly every circumstance you’ll ever face in life.

Start taking your situations or temptations to their conclusion. See what incredible possibilities might be in store for you because of Jesus. Or what horrible ones might be in store for you if you neglect Him. There’s more potential in your pain than you can possibly imagine. There’s also more travesty that can come out of your temptation than you can possibly understand.

Don’t let the limited perspective of a moment dictate your life. When you find yourself in a moment of struggle or temptation, stop for a moment. Play it out. And then move forward towards the conclusion God wants for you.

Hell: We Can't Afford to Get it Wrong

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."

As Christians, we're not called to live a comfortable life. We're called to be bold, push the boundaries, reach out to the darkest places, bring hope to the world! What's the point of living your life for Jesus if you're too scared to take any risks for him? By staying in our comfort zone, we're limiting what God can do in us and for his kingdom. Once we can push past the initial fear that's causing us to not move, LIFE begins. I challenge you to take a step of faith and break out of your comfort zone today. God's waiting to use you!

“It is true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But, it is absolutely vital to grasp that he didn’t call you there so you could settle in and live your life in comfort and superficial peace…God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through.” -Francis Chan

how he loves

the father of lies

"What if you're making this life-change for nothing?"
"It's only a matter of time before you mess up again"
"You don't have what it takes to make a difference"
"You're missing out on all of the fun"
"You're not talented enough"
"They wouldn't want anything to do with you if they knew the real you"
"It's too late for you"
"Your old life is so much easier"
"You're never going to get married"
"They don't care about you"
"You're all alone"
"Give up"

Do any of these sound familiar to you? These are just a few of the lies that the devil has been constantly throwing at me lately. It's hard to recognize it as just that though sometimes, LIES. When the devil feeds us this crap, we need to see it for what it is and reject it. I encourage you to pay more attention to what lies you're letting yourself entertain. Stand on TRUTH.

"He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself." Philippians 2:5

there IS a purpose for our pain

For months now I've wondered, "What is the purpose of all this pain I'm going through?".... I didn't understand the purpose of God bringing my ex into my life just to take him away and leave me heartbroken. I didn't understand why I let myself do such stupid things for me to later regret. I didn't understand why I felt so alone. I didn't understand how I got so far off track. Everyone said, "God has a purpose and plan for everything." I found that really hard to believe.

Today while I was reading through some scripture, I came across these verses. It all of the sudden clicked. God DID have a purpose for all of this. If it wasn't for everything happening the way it did, I would still be dependent on a boy, I would still be in a half-hearted relationship with God, I would still be caught up in a cycle of destruction. God knew that it would take my world getting thrown upside down in order for me to make a real heart and life change. If everything in my life was going good, I would have little reason to depend on God. Now, through all of this heartache, I've had no choice but to depend on Him. I tried doing it my way at first. I ran from Him and tried coping with worldly things. That only led me further into depression and eventually to the point where I recognized that I can't do it on my own. As hard as the last few months have been, I wouldn't change a thing.

Thank you Jesus for giving me a wake up call and helping me turn my life around.

"Now I'm glad - not that you were upset, but that you were jarred into turning things around. You let distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has pushed you closer to God? You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible. Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart."

2 Corinthians 7:9-12