When I get bumps and blackheads on my face I look for natural remedies to clear my skin up such as honey or green tea. When I start to use these home remedies, before my face clears up the remedy actually brings the impurities out first before the skin on my face starts to look clear and radiant. It is the same way with the process of sanctification. When we start to see a problem like selfishness rear it's ugly head in our life then we ask God to take it away, sometimes before anything changes he shows us the root of the problem first and we start to see the impurities in our life that we need to repent of first before we can see God's radiant light begin to shine through in our life. A synonym for impurities is a contaminant. God doesn't want things like unforgiveness, covetousness, and vainglory to contaminate our life. He wants to clean away the impurities so that we can be fit for the Master's use (2 Timothy 2:21). So don't get discouraged when God starts showing you things that you didn't know were in your heart that He wants you to repent of and give to Him because the only way for you to molded into His image is if you allow God to clear away the impurities. John 15:2 says, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." When we bear fruit, God continues to cut off things in our life that allows us to bring forth more fruit.
So stay encouraged, God is molding you into the image of His dear Son. When cleaning away the impurities, it may seem to get worse before it gets better, but it's all a a part of the sanctification process and for the glorious glory of God. Ephesians 5:26-27 reads, "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." So allow God to wash you and cleanse your from all impurities by His word!
~For whom he did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.~ Romans 8:29
We've all experienced those times when we have gotten a boo boo. Sometimes it's a minor scratch that we can wash and keep on going, but other times it is a massive wound that needs peroxide and a bandage. When we pour the peroxide into the wound it stings at first but eventually it subsides and then that is when the healing process begins. Sometimes when we make a boo boo in our Christian walk and we do something that we later regret or say something that we regret, we have to go back and get it right by apologizing to the person we have offended and ask God to forgive us in humble repentance. Sometimes even after we apologize, Satan tries to bring condemnation and buffet us with our mistake. When we experience this, we have to apply the word of God concerning God's forgiveness. Sometimes we would rather forget about it, rather than face it and apply God's word to the situation. To be honest, it hurts to confront such issues with the word of God because we would soon rather forget it, but in order to dispel the lies of satan about our righteousness we have to confront them with the word. If not you will believe the lies of Satan. Therefore we must apply the word of God such as 2 Corinthians 5:21 which says, "For he hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." And Romans 8:1 which reads, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." When you ask God to forgive you he cleanses you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) and he places you back in right standing with Him, so you can stand on His word rather than the lies of Satan. Again you are immediately placed back in right standing with God when you confess and ask God to forgive you and He sees you as righteous. The devil wants you to believe the lie that you are useless and that you are a failure. He wants to hinder you from continuing to move forward in God, but if we cling to God's word, we can have victory and can move forward by God's grace.
Or you may have past hurts that you didn't know were there but need to be given to God. And in the process of getting hurt you may have believed a lie as a result of past hurts. So once you give it to God then you must apply the word of God to dispel the lie that you have been believing such as no one likes me, etc. It may hurt at first because the lie seems so real in your life, but when you keep applying the word of God it acts like a healing balm that bandages up your wounds and allows healing to take place in your heart and mind. And the past hurt will become a distant memory that has no power over you. God wants us to be whole. He doesn't want us to walk around offended or guilt ridden or burdened with lies. He came to heal the brokenhearted and bind up our wounds (Psalms 147:3). So allow Him to heal your wounds. Let go of past hurts. It will only hinder you. No matter how great the wound, God is greater than any hurt or offense that you have ever experienced and He wants to set you free by His mighty power. So allow Him to heal you today.
~The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.~ Luke 4:18
The new year is freshly upon us and I have five resolutions for the new year.
First up:
Learn Spanish!
When I went to Mexico this past July I was ill prepared to speak with the spanish speaking people there so I want to revisit Spanish. I took it in college, but I never practiced it so I forgot most of it but I want to learn spanish this year!
Abide in the Vine!
God's word says, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." We cannot bear fruit without abiding in the word of God. From day to day I want to live in the truth of God's word. When you look around hopelessness, pain, defeat, lies may seem like reality, but they are not. God's word is the only reality no matter what life looks like at the moment. My desire is that God's word will be my ONLY reality. I want to apply the word of God to every situation in life. The bible tells us how to handle every situation and we must be open to applying it if we want to faithfully abide in the vine. We can read the bible everyday but if we get up and go about life the rest of the day living according to our own way then we are not abiding in the vine which is the word of God. Luke 11:28 says, "Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." The only way we can be blessed with the effects of God's word is if we obey it. So that is what I'm resolving to do this year by the grace of God.
Hide Myself in God
When I attended church as a young girl I struggled to understand what it meant when I heard the following verse flow from the songstress lips, "Let me hide myself in thee." But as I have become older, I have come to understand that you can hide yourself from the pain and stress of life if you hide yourself in God. Psalm 91:1 says, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." To dwell means to live. If we live in the secret place of the most high by having constant communication with Him and casting all of our cares onto Him, we will remain safe under His shadow. What a reassuring thought. I want to live in this reality and hide in Him constantly. I don't want to find refuge in television or food or friendships. I only want to find refuge in Him. There is no substitute. For 2 Peter 1:3 says, "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue." The more we look for the knowledge of God for every area of our life and apply it and agree with God we will see that He has shown us how to live this life and how to become more like Christ. Therefore I want to apply the word of God to every area of my life and watch Him protect me from dangers as He molds me into the image of Christ.
Love...Love...Love!
I want to love, love, love others. Galatians 5:14 says, "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." It' is simple and I want to continue to treat others the way that I want to be treated in the new year and beyond. If you want others to forgive you quickly then resolve to forgive others immediately when you are offended. If you want others to encourage you then encourage others when you see that they need it. I want to be like my Father in heaven and love others unconditionally.
Be the Kind of Friend that I Want to Have
I want to be the kind of friend that I want to have. My sister gave me some great advice today. She told me to make a list of things/attributes that I want in a friend. Then she told me to look at the list and take inventory and be the kind of friend that I want to have. If you want a friend who gives you thoughtful gifts then give them gifts. If you want a friend who is willing to spend time with you when you need it then give of your time as well. So I made a list and prayed and resolved to be a better friend this year and beyond by God's grace.
Thanks for reading and God Bless you in 2017 tremendously! Happy New Year!
I was in dollar tree grabbing a few things for myself and getting more gifts and things for people and somethings to help out my Mom. I was joyful and and thriving on the wonder of this Christmas season. After I finished shopping I was standing in line and a stranger pointed out a shorter line, I thanked him in relief, the line I had been standing was super long. When the cashier finished ringing up all my items I went to pay the cashier the total of my bill and the stranger suddenly stepped in and said that's okay I got the bill, after assuring me he had it and I thanked him, he concluded with a joyful Merry Christmas! I could see a lot of the people in the store were surprised at this genuine act of kindness but no one was more surprised than I. It's funny I was going out my way to buy somethings to give to someone and in the process someone gave to me. I rushed to my sister in the car to tell her what happened,when I turned back to show my sister the stranger who showed me this act of kindness he was gone maybe an angel or just a giving person??? I couldn't get over the fact that my bill was free.This reminded me of God's gifts to us which are bountiful and free.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:16 (KJV) God has truly offered us the greatast gift we can recieve and it's free. I don't know if the stranger was an angel or just a nice person,but God used him to bless me.This is just one of the blessings I've received this wonderful season and this year,giving,honoring God's gift to us and love for one another is the heart of this season! #given#stillhasntregistered#theheartofchristmas#thegiftofgiving#loveoneanother#aschristlovesus Written By:
Let Christmas prompt you even the more to worship our Lord and savior! For God is worthy of all the glory and the honor and Christmas is a celebration of who he is and what he did for every one whose ever lived. O Come let us worship and adore him! #christmasworship#worthyofallglory#adorehim
A publisher had an idea for a book on the myths of sex and they were looking for a writer. So they asked me and I believed I could write on this topic . For a year it was
like a romance with God totally in zone with him.This book was God's idea. Sex covers so many topics, I know the bad sides
and many women have experienced much worse things. I have a healthy
relationship with my husband so I knew the good and the bad and know I could
help people to defer between the two. There are so many topics about sex including but not limited to" homosexuality, STDs, marriage,
sexual sin, sex trafficking, abortion. I’m honored to have had the opportunity to write this book and I hope it
will help a lot of women.
What are some of the
myths girls buy into?
There are so many myths. But one myth is your body is separate from your
soul in the modeling industry they told me you can give your body away and your soul is not affected, however your body is connected to
your soul. When you give your body away you give away your heart & soul. That’s
why we get heartbreak because those relationships where we’ve
been sexually active get torn apart or broken up. The body and soul are
connected, just like when a woman has a baby it happens in her body but it soul’s
connected.Another one of the myths is that sex is casual. (friends with benefits) A lot of girls wonder why do I have an eating disorder why am I depressed? Their giving away their
body their precious temple and they wonder why they’re feeling this way. I
spoke at a college recently on body image the more I talked the more I realized
the majority of the girls were sexually active and they wonder why they don’t feel good in their body. Inside of marriage you’re
united under the covenant there is no shame it's just beautiful, but outside of marriage it's not.Another myth is sex is a part of dating, but sex is part of marriage it’s the fabric and
where the babies come from. Another myth is I plan my pregnancies, but God controls
the womb. God created us before the womb, in Isaiah 49:5 it says God called us before the womb. Another myth is that prostitutes, and such like are dirty, but most of them have been
abused. They were violated and they deserve our compassion their broken and need our love. The book talks on homosexuals are we loving them well, reaching out, we need to provide resources that will help them get out of that lifestyle. We meed to work with them help them and love them. The bible does say Homosexuality is a sin, but we have to present grace and truth.
Ultimately, it’s a book about love and single women, being
the bride of Christ, protecting your body, letting God fill your cup, in this book there is a lot of hope for single women, .
This book is about love and grace love of God and forgiveness. Songs of Solomon
doesn’t even use the word sex, it’s about love the way God talks to us.
Prince Charming ideal
How can young girls refocus and change that Prince Charming
mindset?
In marriage my husband wasn’t perfect and I realized I had been disillusioned about marriage and men. If you put your trust in man it well be like Jeremiah said a
parched desert, but with God it will be like a watered stream.(expectations for a man vs. God)
Changing your focus as a single woman and even in marriage
and get your eyes on God. The more you look to God the more fulfilled you will be and the more you will be able to love. Fix your eyes on God.
Abortion what about women who
have had abortions are considering it?
God is the creator of life and the finisher he’s God and were
not. He does create us in our mother womb, he will call us home one day and we
are not to play God. Another problem concerning abortion is the father has little to no rights concerning his own
child, a lot of men are angry who have experienced this. We have lifted woman up like Gods, they say woman get to choose,it's their body, but it’s not our body it’s God's body and we get
to choose. We must choose life. In Deuteronomy 30:19 God says I have set before you death and life choose
life. Woman who have abortions are effected the rest of their life, even woman
in their 40’s still struggle, some of these woman are going into the pregnancy
centers and are loving and encouraging girls using their mistake as a way to encourage others to make the right choice. Pregnancy agencies have so many resources now :jobs, adoption, medical
care. There are so many ministries and pregnancy resources for women who need to heal or make the right decisions and bible studies for woman who
have experienced abortions. If you've had an abortion God can forgive you. Many broken woman who have made the wrong decisions have been redeemed and now are making a great impact in the world.
Purity
How does a young
person keep them self pure and avoid the media’s influence?
It takes real grit and deep conviction to stand up for you believe.
Even if your home and everyone is out partying that's okay. It is also wise not to drink at all,you must have strong boundaries. Concerning dating stay in public places (not secluded places). Believe that you’re more, that’s faith believe.
If you feel like it's for you to get married believe he’s worth it and you’re worth
it. However,don’t save sex for the promise that once you get married sex will be amazing,
save sex as a devotion to God. If you save it with the mindset that I’ll meet a
perfect man and sex life will be amazing that's wrong, the bible says the pure in heart we will see God.
Purchase a Copy of 21 Myths (Even Good) Girls Believe About Sex by Jennifer Strickland today!
We will be giving away a free copy of 21 Myths about sex by Jennifer Strickland,a book about God's view on sex & relationships. If you'd like a chance to win please comment below and add us to your google circles.
21 Myths (Even Good) Girls Believe about Sex uncovers the most believed untruths girls have about dating and sex. With honest, straight-forward language Christian author Jennifer Strickland shares the myths, the truths, and the practical ways you can enjoy the pursuit of passion and purity.
