It's been awhile. Honestly, I've just been really busy. Not as busy as I want to be but busy nonetheless.
I promise it's during the times when you are trying so hard to do better and create a relationship with God is when the devil decides to make things worse. The devil thinks that if he brings me down now, that eventually I'll turn my back on God in the hopes that things will get better. But I know that is not the case.
It has been rough. Really rough. Work has been back and forth. The bills I have to pay off just keep getting worse. New bills keep showing up. One of the cars just broke down so my entire family is trying to make it with one car. After finishing my law school applications, the very first letter I get is a rejection and it's from my dream school. Every day I get more and more stressed. However, what I have noticed is that I am praying more and more. Instead of just in the morning and at night I find myself closing my eyes and whispering a prayer to God. To keep my family and I strong, to help me through this hard time, to keep my faith strong. I can't say it makes me feel 100% better but it does give me some peace of mind. Right now all I have is my family and God to get me through this hard time, and let's be honest, my family has their own problems to worry about. So it's just me and God.
Sometimes I wonder if He is even listening. Then something small happens. Like a phone call to work 24 hours this weekend at almost double of what I have been making. While I want SO much more, I am thankful for the smaller things because that let's me know that God does hear me. I just have to keep telling myself "God is stretching me before blessing me. He is testing me so I can be prepared to have a testimony." I tell myself every time I get an email or phone call about a bill payment or not being able to work. The devil HATES it. This reminds me of Job, and how God took away EVERYTHING from him in one day. But Job continued to worship. That's what I'm doing. I am worshipping constantly. Thanking God. Praising Him. Because while things seem bad it could be SO much worse. I have a well working body that allows me to work. I have clothes to wear. A roof over my head. Food to eat. A college degree. A car that is working and can get us where we need to go. I praise Him anyways, to let the devil know that THIS TIME he will NOT defeat me and lead me astray no matter what difficulties and hardships that are thrown at me. I am FOCUSED!
No one said that once I dedicated my life to Christ, my life was going to be easier. To be real I think it gets harder. Because the temptations get greater and everything thats wrong is what you want to be a part of. I lift my hands and my voice to God and just thank Him for protecting me still and all I can do is continue to ask Him for help and be patient.
GOD IS STRETCHING ME, BEFORE BLESSING ME!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Day 18: Be Prepared...
Scripture: Matthew 25:1-13
The title for today is "The Parable of the Ten Virgins".Once again Jesus uses a story to tell us a very important message. The main point of this parable (and the last one Matthew 24:36-51) is that NO ONE knows the next time Jesus is coming back to earth. Not scientist. Not the Mayans. Not the guy on the street with the sign that says "The END Is Near". No one. As children of God we should already know this, so what I want to talk about is being prepared...And not just for the coming of God, but for certain things in your life.
In the scripture there are 5 ladies who are prepared because they bring extra oil, and 5 ladies who are not prepared because they don't bring oil for their lamp. When the bride's groom come the 5 ladies without oil have to rush off to find some and basically miss their men and their wedding. As a single woman I often think about my future husband and how I can't wait to get married and all that. But what I've noticed is I can't expect to have a man in my life if I'm not prepared. Before I started this fast I felt the constant need to be on SNS and text people because I felt alone. I had (have) issues with being single, because I don't like being alone. So I would constantly hop from one relationship to the next. However, I see now that God is letting me know that I am not prepared to be in a relationship, because I need to focus on me first. I thought the emptiness in my heart was caused by being single, but I now see that the emptiness was God telling me that I need to talk to with God. So now when I feel alone I talk to God, and afterwards I feel so much better. I have to put my faith in God and realize that He knows what is best for me because He knows my future. At this point in my life God is preparing me. Not only for a future husband but for SO many other amazing things He is going to do in my life. I might think God is saying no to my requests, but He is saying to be patient because I am not quite ready to handle all that God has to offer me. So let God prepare you so that when the time comes you are ready.
Also make sure you are ready for Christ return as well. Like I said before none of us know when that time is...So why not go ahead and be prepared now. So many times people will say, "I'll go to church next Sunday." "I'll accept Jesus into my heart once I finish acting crazy." "I'll start praying tomorrow..."
By doing and saying that are we really prepared? No. V12-13 tells us that we have to keep watch. And Matthew 24:44 says that we have to be ready. Procrastinating isn't helping ourselves. We have to prepare ourselves NOW, so we won't have any excuses not to be able to enter the kingdom of God. Yes, God does prepare us for many things, but not everything. Jesus coming back is something we have to prepare ourselves for by taking initiative and deciding to make our change today. Right now. Once we decide that God is going to be right by our side to help us. I heard a Pastor once say that if Jesus came back right now, would you be the man left in the field? Will you be the woman left grinding with a hand mill? Or will you be the one who is taken? If you are not 100% sure of that answer, then it is time to start preparing yourself.
The title for today is "The Parable of the Ten Virgins".Once again Jesus uses a story to tell us a very important message. The main point of this parable (and the last one Matthew 24:36-51) is that NO ONE knows the next time Jesus is coming back to earth. Not scientist. Not the Mayans. Not the guy on the street with the sign that says "The END Is Near". No one. As children of God we should already know this, so what I want to talk about is being prepared...And not just for the coming of God, but for certain things in your life.
In the scripture there are 5 ladies who are prepared because they bring extra oil, and 5 ladies who are not prepared because they don't bring oil for their lamp. When the bride's groom come the 5 ladies without oil have to rush off to find some and basically miss their men and their wedding. As a single woman I often think about my future husband and how I can't wait to get married and all that. But what I've noticed is I can't expect to have a man in my life if I'm not prepared. Before I started this fast I felt the constant need to be on SNS and text people because I felt alone. I had (have) issues with being single, because I don't like being alone. So I would constantly hop from one relationship to the next. However, I see now that God is letting me know that I am not prepared to be in a relationship, because I need to focus on me first. I thought the emptiness in my heart was caused by being single, but I now see that the emptiness was God telling me that I need to talk to with God. So now when I feel alone I talk to God, and afterwards I feel so much better. I have to put my faith in God and realize that He knows what is best for me because He knows my future. At this point in my life God is preparing me. Not only for a future husband but for SO many other amazing things He is going to do in my life. I might think God is saying no to my requests, but He is saying to be patient because I am not quite ready to handle all that God has to offer me. So let God prepare you so that when the time comes you are ready.
Also make sure you are ready for Christ return as well. Like I said before none of us know when that time is...So why not go ahead and be prepared now. So many times people will say, "I'll go to church next Sunday." "I'll accept Jesus into my heart once I finish acting crazy." "I'll start praying tomorrow..."
By doing and saying that are we really prepared? No. V12-13 tells us that we have to keep watch. And Matthew 24:44 says that we have to be ready. Procrastinating isn't helping ourselves. We have to prepare ourselves NOW, so we won't have any excuses not to be able to enter the kingdom of God. Yes, God does prepare us for many things, but not everything. Jesus coming back is something we have to prepare ourselves for by taking initiative and deciding to make our change today. Right now. Once we decide that God is going to be right by our side to help us. I heard a Pastor once say that if Jesus came back right now, would you be the man left in the field? Will you be the woman left grinding with a hand mill? Or will you be the one who is taken? If you are not 100% sure of that answer, then it is time to start preparing yourself.
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