Quote of the Day

 "He does not need to transplant us into a different field, but right where we are, with just the circumstances that surround us, He makes His sun to shine and His dew to fall upon us, and transforms the very thing that were before our greatest hindrances, into the chiefest and most blessed means of our growth. No difficulties in your case can baffle Him. No dwarfing of your growth in years that are past, no apparent dryness of your inward springs of life, no crookedness or deformity in any of your past development, can in the least mar the perfect work that He will accomplish, if you will only put yourselves absolutely into His hands, and let Him have His own way with you."

(Hannah Whitall Smith, Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 209)

Quote of the Day

"Interpose no barrier to His mighty life-giving power, working in you all the good pleasure of His will. Yield yourself up utterly to His sweet control. Put your growing into His hands as completely as you have put all your other affairs. Suffer Him to manage it as He will. Do not concern yourself about it, nor even think of it. Trust Him absolutely and always. Accept each moment's dispensation as it comes to you from His dear hands, as being the needed sunshine or dew for that moment's growth. Say a continual 'yes' to your Father's will."

Hannah Whitall Smith (Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 169)

Quote of the Day

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (II Corinthians 12:9)

"The law of the spiritual life is that divine strength shall be made perfect in human weakness. Our part is to supply the weakness, God's part is to supply the strength. We are, however, continually trying to usurp God's part and to supply the strength ourselves; and, because we cannot do this, we are plunged into depths of discouragement. We think, in order to work efficiently for the Lord, we ought to feel strong in ourselves, and when instead we find ourselves feeling weak, we are in despair. But the Bible teaches us that, if we only knew it, our weakness is in reality our greatest strength."

(Hannah Whitall Smith, The Commonsense Teaching of the Bible p.136)

The Heart of the Matter (Part Two)

Spiritual Lessons

The Heart of the Matter
Part Two

Please note, this is the continuation of my previous post, "The Heart of the Matter Part One". (Please consider reading part one before reading on further.) Here, I would like to continue to address the struggle most Christian girls experience with their desire for marriage and the discontentment that can arise, when that desire is not met.

Thirdly, our desires and our affections should be set on Christ, not marriage.

Here is a quote by Hannah Whitall Smith that I would like to share with you. It is a little bit lengthy, but it was a help to me and I hope an  encouragement to you too.

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (Galatians 6:14) “By being ‘crucified to the world’ Paul meant that he was dead to it. …To be dead to a thing must mean that that thing has no power to attract. And this is what is meant in the Bible by ‘taking up the cross’. It is to become so dead to the world (that is, the lower plane of living) that its power to tempt is gone. It is to have our affections so set on things above, that merely earthly things have lost their charm.”

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:1-3)

“To have our ‘affections set’ on anything must mean that we love that thing; and if our affections are set on the will of God, we must love His will. It is impossible that God’s will should seem hard to a man whose affections are set on it. It may be accompanied with hard things, but in itself it must be a delight. Our Lord could say, ‘I delight to do thy will. O my God!’ because He was dead to everything that was contrary to His Father’s will. His affections were set on the will of God; and until our affections are similarly so set on the will of God as to delight in it, we have not ‘taken up the cross’ in the Scripture sense at all.”

(Hannah W. Smith, The Commonsense Teaching of the Bible p.115)

Our affections, our heart desires, our love, should be set on Christ. Does this mean that you never have any other desires? No. Does this mean it is somehow wicked to want to be married? Certainly not. But what we thought was so dear and precious and even important to us before, in the sight of Him, fades completely. He is more precious than that desire ever could be. And He is more lovely than its fulfillment in our lives.

I think many young girls can be in danger of believing that marriage will somehow make them happy and content, when otherwise, they weren't. But this idea is false, not to mention rather covetousness.

What is covetousness? "To desire ardently (especially, something that another person has); crave; long for."

I know many young girls who reek of covetousness, when it comes to this subject of marriage. Girls who literally hate weddings, because they themselves haven't had their own. They are envious of what God has chosen to given someone else, and even bitter. Just because you don't have a statue of Buddha sitting on your desk, doesn't mean you aren't guilty of idolatry. Not according to the Bible. Many girls' innocent desire for marriage has become an idol in their heart. And although they might not even verbally say it, feel like God isn't good unless He gives them their desire for marriage. This is scary. 

Are you covetous? Longing for something that isn't in your possession? Is your heart coveting something that isn't yours? Or maybe even something that the Lord hasn't seen fit to give you yet? (Like marriage.) Are you maybe even coveting someone that doesn't belong to you? (Like a specific person you might admire or maybe just the desire for a husband in general.) 

What do you usually talk about? 
Where does your mind oftentimes wonder? 
What seems to make you more excited than anything else? 
What (or who) are you always excited to talk or think about?

If we answer these questions honestly, I know it would reveal where our hearts truly are.

Hebrews 13:5 says, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." 

Why are we able to be content with "such things as ye have"? (Such as singleness) Because we have Him. He has promised never to leave us, never to forsake us. He is that life-long companion most young women have both dreamed about and yearned for. He is that friend. He is the one who can hold your hand through the hardships of life. To comfort your pain. Who accepts and loves you just as you are. The one who adores you and seeks to capture your heart. The one who will be faithful to the end. The one who you can trust no matter what. "We can face anything, if we face it together." This is Christ. 

Fourthly, our heart motivation for wanting to get married shouldn't be derived from selfishness, but actually from love.

 And here is what I mean by that. A lot of girls have silly infatuations towards someone they admire and label it as "love". Just because you "like someone" doesn't mean you are "in love" with him. Love is so much deeper than this. 

And in the same sort of way, some girls hold an infatuated idea of what marriage is. And their dreams and hopes and imaginations for what marriage will be for them, are usually, at the core, selfish. 
Feelings like-
 Marriage will make me happier. 
Marriage is my romantic dream come true.
Marriage will make me feel loved, cherished, and accepted.
Marriage will make me feel secure. 
Or marriage will change my current unhappy circumstances.
Marriage will ____(this), or marriage will ____(that) for me.

Is marriage all about you? Are you hoping to get a husband, just for the happiness and fulfillment he may give you? This isn't real love. 

I would like to share another quote with you from Hannah Whitall Smith. This quote is on love. Real love.

"We must remember, however, that a great deal of what is called love ought really to be spelled s-e-l-f-i-s-h-n-e-s-s. [selfishness] People love their own enjoyment of their friends more than they love the friends themselves, and consider their own welfare in their intercourse with those they profess to love, far more than the welfare of the so-called loved ones. It has been said that we never really love anyone until we can do without them for their good; and, measured by this test, how few there are who really love."
 ....
"The law of love can never be a cherishing of self at the expense of the loved one, but must always be the cherishing of the loved one at the expense of self." (The Commonsense Teaching of the Bible p.141)

True love, is Christ's love. A love that doesn't think about self at all. A love that is never motivated by selfish wants or needs. Marriage isn't something to enter into selfishly for your own pleasure, although I think the majority of people do. The first motive for marriage, should be a love for Christ. A love that desires His will over our own. (Whether that will is marriage or not marriage.) Marriage is a picture of Christ and His bride. And when a marriage is derived from knowing His will and in His timing, it can be such a pure and beautiful testimony. The second motive for marriage, should be out of real love for that other person. Not a selfish desire to please your flesh, but from a desire to please that man and fulfill his needs. To be his helpmeet. To love him, to honour him, and to accept him as a gift from the Lord, and also as your "new ministry". 

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." 
(Romans 13:8-10)

Girls can also be in danger of thinking that marriage will somehow magically change them for the better. But this simply isn’t true. Walking down the wedding aisle doesn’t suddenly warp you into Cinderella. Sorry girls! Haha J Marriage changes your circumstances and your position maybe, but it doesn’t necessarily change you. If you are discontent before you are married, you will be discontent after you are married. If you are selfish before you get married, you will still be selfish after you get married. Marriage is joining yourself to another fleshly human being. And through Christ, it can be wonderful. But, everyday life goes on after the honeymoon. And you are still you. The girls I have known that were discontent and unhappy in Christ while they were single have still been just as discontent and unhappy married. It is sad. Marriage doesn’t change the state of your heart. And instead, now I see a marriage that is struggling, and a husband that feels frustrated, because she is trying to take something from him, that he simply cannot give.

Only Christ meets the deepest needs of our hearts. That is a place reserved only for Him. Girls have a strong need for love. This is how God made us. We naturally need and yearn for affection. But human love can only take you so far. And while human love is imperfect and selfish at best, Christ’s love is perfect and unselfish. He satisfies like no other, every time. He desires us. He draws us to Himself. He seeks our hearts. He is a friend that is closer than no other. And His love is forever. 

  "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." (Psalms 62:5)

And fifthly, the Lord knows what is best for each of us individually, what brings Him the most glory, and is the greatest furtherance to the gospel.  

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Psalms 40:8)

If we can honestly say that our whole desire is Christ and that His will is our delight, as David did, then surely we would be accepting of that will, whatever it might be. Even when that will crosses ours. What if marriage wasn’t His perfect will for you? What if He needed you single? Not many are even willing to consider that an option. I don’t think anyone believes I Corinthians 7, where Paul says it is better to be unmarried, in serving the Lord, than married.

“But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.” (I Corinthians 7:32-34)

This isn’t to say that marriage isn’t a godly calling, or that you cannot serve the Lord married, but we should be willing, if He asked.

Letting Jesus direct our lives, from the biggest decisions to the smallest details, is peace. It is sweet to trust Jesus, because He is trustworthy and because His love is towards us. His plans are good, not evil. If He chooses to withhold a desire from your heart, it is withheld in love.

Psalms 84:11 says-“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

Are we able to say, as Paul did, “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20: 24)

Shouldn't this be, without question, the purpose and heart cry of every Christian? There shouldn't even be anything to weigh that desire with. He is both worthy of our best and worth seeking after with all our hearts. He should be our goal. Our whole desire. To the point that we count nothing dear unto ourselves, but that we may win Him. 

Quote of the Day

"The Shepherd knows what pastures are best for His sheep, and they must not question nor doubt, but trustingly follow Him. Perhaps He sees that the best pastures for some of us are to be found in the midst of opposition or of earthly trials. If He leads you there, you may be sure they are green for you, and you will grow and be made strong by feeding there. 

Perhaps He sees that the best waters for you to walk beside will be raging waves of trouble and sorrow. If this should be the case, He will make them still waters for you, and you must go and lie down beside them, and let them have all their blessed influences upon you." 

(Hannah Whitall Smith, Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 31)

Love Part I

Spiritual Lessons 

Love

Part I

“God’s love being unchangeable, He is just as loving when we do not see or feel His love…” (Havergal, 77)

Love. It is one of the most misunderstood words. Some might consider love to be a sappy, weak or feminine emotion. Others might consider it a seductive feeling, intimacy, or attraction. Lately, I’ve been learning what love is. Some might define love as a very deep, complex, beautiful action not really related to emotion at all.

I guess I began learning several Autumns ago, when I was confused, searching and needy. I’d like to share this diary entry.

October 17, 2011

“I rob myself of my joy when my mind is completely consumed with other things than Him. I have lately desired marriage. That is not a bad thing. But when I am most content is when Christ is my all – then I do not experience the “need” to be courting or married. Even my dear friend in her last letter mentioned how the Lord is having to teach her joy. And she is courting! Even when our desires are fulfilled we still need Christ just as much.

I must fall in love with Christ in order to keep my yearnings at bay. I will feel accepted and loved if I allow Christ to fill my need.

I have felt slightly unappreciated lately. Not really…needed. I feel like no-one would be put out if I was gone. I know they would miss the things I do (chores) because they would have to do them, but they wouldn’t miss me, as a person. I know that is untrue, because I know I add to the family’s “make up” whether that’s a good thing or not… :) Everyone is used to me being here, so if I was gone the familiarity of my presence would most likely be missed. But would I, as a person?

For example, Dad cannot live without mom. He must have some contact with her or he suffers. She is needed. Desperately. Someone needs her. For who she is, not just what she gives. Her value is in who she is to Dad, his wife, not the fact that she does his laundry, cheerfully keeps the home, gives birth to his children, etc. He would give anything for her, even his life.

Does anyone need me? Am I important to anyone? Does anyone feel the same way about me?

At first thought, or without much thought at all, I would reply, no. Not even my parents need me. Dad’s need for love is met by Mom. Mom’s yearning for love, protection, acceptance, is met by Dad. My parents love me, but their love is not adequate for the yearning in my heart. My family loves me, but it doesn’t even come close to filling the vast void I have. The closest people given to be mine are not enough.

This is why being loved in a different way seems so attractive. The feeling that someone could possibly be attracted to you in some other way than “just a friend” is exciting. It seems they need you. Not for what I do, but for who I am. They seem to admire me, my personality. They care how I feel, what I think of them. My feelings are important. They care. I have not given a thing to them, and yet, they still like me, even want to know me better. They wouldn’t consider it a sacrifice to spend time with me, they enjoy me, I am important to them.

What a danger. And I know it is and still desire to be tempted. I am evil. So very selfish. It isn’t love that desires to take, to accept such admiration. If I loved my brothers in Christ, I would protect their hearts by treating them as brothers, giving them no ideas otherwise. It is no wonder we young adults are controlled by our emotions. They are so terribly strong.”

I then read a quote by Hannah Whittal Smith that started a chang in my heart.  I started to grasp what love really was. 

“…if you have ever loved any earthly relation; if you have ever loved any of your fellow human beings enough to find sacrifice and service on their behalf a joy; if a whole-souled abandonment of your will to the will of another has ever gleamed across you as a blessed and longed-for privilege, or as a sweet and precious reality, then by all the tender longing love of your Heavenly Lover would I entreat you to let it be so towards Christ!

He loves you with more than the love of friendship. As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so does He rejoice over you, and nothing but the bride’s surrender will satisfy Him. He has given you all, and He asks for all in return. The slightest reserve will grieve Him to the heart. He spared not Himself, and how can you spare yourself? For your sake He poured out in a lavish abandonment all that He had, and for His sake you must pour out all that you have, without stint or measure.

Oh be generous in your self-surrender! Meet His measureless devotion for you with a measureless devotion to Him. Be glad and eager to throw yourself unreservedly into His loving arms, and to hand over the reins of government to Him. Whatever there is of you, let Him have it all. Give up forever everything that is separate from Him. Consent to resign, from this time forward, all liberty of choice, and glory in the blessed nearness of union which makes the enthusiasm of devotedness not only possible but necessary.”(Smith 218-219)

Here is what I wrote afterward -- 

“Someone does love me enough to adequately fill my heart’s yearning. Someone does want me. Someone loves me not for what I do, say, or look like; but loves me unselfishly, as a person. Someone cares to the utmost what I think, how I feel, what emotions I own. Someone cares! I have not given Him one thing that He did not already have. I haven’t given this Someone anything, and yet He still loves me. He would stop whatever to hear me. He wants to listen. I am important to Him. He would do anything for me…even if it was to suffer and die for me. Jesus. He is the only one capable of truly loving me. He never tires of me. He is more than enough to satisfy my need for love. He makes human love seem small compared. Someone loves me. I am needed, or He wouldn’t have created me. Why compromise my purity for a lowly “love” when I could have the best?

I would find His love satisfactory if I would accept it. I actually have to listen, spend time with Him, or then He doesn’t have the chance to demonstrate His love. Nothing, not even my knowing better, constrains my desire for love… I’ll still look in the wrong places, even when I know it’s wrong, and I’ll enjoy the sensation. The only thing that can draw me away from corrupt “love” is, (not guilt, not rules), but real love. Christ’s love. If His loves satisfies me and I love my brothers in Christ’s love, then I won’t need any other kind and will find myself truly content and in love with the right Someone. What a lover He is. I must accept Him.”

 I now realized He was calling me. He gave everything; how could I hesitate to surrender everything to Him – the All Knowing? Yet I did hesitate: I was afraid. I had surrendered before and when I gave, what happened? He took from me. Earlier I had surrendered my pride and He humbled me by allowing me to break my collar bone. I gave Him my media and He limited what I could read and watch. I gave Him my wardrobe and He took certain clothes and restricted what I could and could not wear. It felt like no-one else had to sacrifice, but because I dared to, I was left without and alone. I gave Him something and where did He lead me? To a lonely path. And all along I had just desired for someone to love me. This strict way looked nothing like my heart’s desire.

I continued to read The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life and Mrs. Smith spoke to my heart again. The Lord used this part in her book to be such a blessing. It was like He sat down on my bed and spoke directly to me through the book. Please bear with me in this lengthy quote. I hope it blesses you like it did me.

“Have you never longed to lavish your love and attentions on someone far off from you in position or circumstances, with whom you were not intimate enough for any closer approach? Have you not felt a capacity for self-surrender and devotedness that has seemed to burn within you like a fire, and yet had no object upon which it dared to lavish itself? Have not your hands been full of “alabaster boxes of ointment very precious,” which you have never been near enough to any heart to pour out? If, then, you are hearing the lovely voice of your Lord calling you out into a place of nearness to Himself that will require a separation from all else, and that will make an enthusiasm of devotedness not only possible but necessary, will you shrink or hesitate? Will you think it hard that He reveals to you more of His mind than He does to others, and that He will not allow you to be happy in anything that separates you from Himself? Do you want to go where He cannot go with you, or to have pursuits which He cannot share?

No! no, a thousand times no! You will spring out to meet His lovely will with an eager joy. Even His slightest wish will become a binding law to you that it would fairly break your heart to disobey. You will glory in the very narrowness of the path He asks out for you, and will not pity, with an infinite pity, the poor far-off ones who have missed this precious joy. The obligations of love will be to you its sweetest privileges; and the right you have acquired to lavish the uttermost wealth of abandonment of all that you have upon your Lord will seem to lift you into a region of unspeakable glory. The perfect happiness of perfect obedience will dawn upon your soul, and you will begin to know something of what Jesus meant when He said, “I delight to do thy will, O my God.” (Smith 219-220)

I actually cried when I read it. It was exactly what I was dealing with and it was so close to my heart. So often I had feelings of where I wanted to pour out the love I had…and I had no-one who would take it seriously. Ah, but my God was calling me. He drew me near Himself and called. 

Then this thought crossed my mind. He fulfills my need to be loved, for He loves me. I do not have to yearn for someone to fill that void in my heart, that need to be loved. He does! He loves me! But then this thought also – He fulfills my need to be needed. I yearn for someone to need me. Not only do I want to receive love, but I want to give love. I want someone to need my love to be given. It makes sense to me that I need Him, but for Him to need me seems almost foolish. I was overwhelmed what I read next:

“But do you think the joy in this will be all on your side? Has the Lord no joy in those who have thus surrendered themselves to Him, and who love to obey Him? Ah, my friends, we are not able to understand this; but surely Scriptures reveal to us glimpses of the delight, the satisfaction, the joy our Lord has in us, which rejoice our soul with their marvelous suggestions of blessedness. That we should need Him is easy to comprehend; but that He should need us seems incomprehensible. That our desire should be toward Him is a matter of course; but that His desire should be toward us passes the bounds of human belief. And yet He says it, and what can we do but believe Him?” (Smith 120)

Isn’t that beautiful? To know that He desires me? He made my heart capable of such love and then offered Himself as the object of it!

God has created in me the desire to be loved and to give love. And He offers Himself as the Lover and the Lovable. What better person could we want to love us? What better person could we bestow love on?

To think, He, the God of our very being kneels down, takes my hand in His and quietly asks me, His own already, “Will you have me, would you allow me to be your Beloved?”

How could I refuse? How could I deem anyone more precious? He knows how to perfectly love; he would never fail or forsake me. He has proven faithful as Savior; why not trust Him with all my heart as Lover? Yet, He will not force Himself on me, I must choose; for forced love is not love at all. This love is not only available to me, but to all of His children.

Quote of the Day

"And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." (John 16:22)

"If we want a 'joy that no man can take from us,' we must find it in something no man can disturb. No element of joy that is subject to human fluctuations can be in the least depended on. The only lasting joy is to be found in the everlasting God. In God alone, I mean, apart from all else; apart from His gifts apart from His blessings, apart from all that can by any possibility change or alter. He alone is unchangeable. He is the same good, loving, tender God 'yesterday, today, and for ever'; and we can rejoice in Him always, whether we are able to rejoice in His gifts and His promises or not." (Hannah Whitall Smith- from The Commonsense Teaching of the Bible P.75)

Compromise

Spiritual Lessons 

Compromise

As I become older, and my girlfriends do as well, we are faced with many challenges involving relationships.

It would seem that when we take a stand for purity, suddenly the enemy picks us out of the crowd and attacks. Lately many girls that I know have been under attack (including myself) in regards to relationships.

I want to encourage you, dear hearts.

In this day and age, godly men are rare. Honestly, it can be discouraging to stop and take note that the handful of godly men we know seem to be ancient sages, married, or....our little brother. :) We are inundated by the World's standard of men; surrounded by what the world deems as “real men” in our music, television, social media, novels, magazines, etc. As Christian women we have been brought up to know that these are not the kind of men we should desire to marry. We know we want a Bible-believing, God fearing, Godly man. So we wait. As we become older we realize there aren't really that many young men that fit such a description. So when a guy comes a long that seems to be okay...our first inclination might be... “maybe he's 'it'!”

We are enamored. He likes me! Someone actually likes me! And....he isn't a bad guy. He's actually really sweet.

We begin to compromise. Girls, I want to share some truths that keep coming up before me over and over again. Truths that I have been trying to share with some friends. Truths that come to me while I pray, truths the Lord has given me in my own struggles. These are truths you might need to hear again. Even though you were taught them, or you know them to be true. People do not discuss them much. And right now, in this day and age, and more specifically, at this time in my life, I am seeing innocence under siege.

Girls, a lost man is incapable of loving you. He can't. Because God is love, and without Him, it is impossible to love.

The lost man that is pursuing you might be a nice guy, but stop and think why you wouldn't marry him. The reasons that just came to mind should be the same reasons to keep you from encouraging any relationship with him. False love is more destructive than hate. It will catch you unguarded and leave you deeply wounded.

If this guy isn't an option right now, than he shouldn't be a struggle either. He shouldn't be treated like an option. Maybe he is a Christian, but your family doesn't have a peace about him. You aren't sure. If your brothers, Dad or Pastor, feel uncomfortable about the guy, you should too. Men understand men better than we do.

We, as ladies, are prone to weakness. Our hearts are easily moved. Admit it, we are emotionally driven. Predators are attracted to weak prey. Not all men are predators by any means. Many are protectors. But all women are weak when it comes to the heart. We will attract predators. With this knowledge we can take precautions by allowing ourselves to be protected and guarding our hearts.

We shouldn't start a relationship we know might have to be ended. Many girls I know right now have come to a “Y” in their relationship path. And they don't even want to admit they have to make a choice.

Girls, there is no such thing as neutral ground. I am seeing the same scenarios in these various young ladies lives. Of course there is balance....we have to realize that temptations come and they in and of themselves are not sins. (See post on Temptations ) But, if you are in a less than good relationship, and you know that it cannot continue, then a decision must be made. Not to decide is a decision. You are choosing to move forward.

There is no such thing as being a good friend with a guy who wants to pursue you. He doesn't want to “just be a friend”. Being this man's friend is not an option.

This man is either the man God has chosen for you, or he isn't. There isn't an in between. And if the Lord does not give you or your God-given-authorities peace about him than he is a “no”. And must be treated as such. To do otherwise would be dishonest and hurtful to him.

Some girls don't want to make the decision. They would rather choose to “struggle” instead. Because it is easier and feels better to have someone attracted to you. You feel attached to this man.

He won't magically go away on his own if he isn't the right guy. You can't soothe your conscience by deciding that in the future you will make a choice. It's a cross roads now. It won't happen unless you decide to decide now.

Continuing to be around this guy, fellowshipping, contacting, continuing to “get to know” and be “friends” is inappropriate. Who in their right mind, while on a sugar-free diet, would prepare chocolate cake? Even if they didn't plan on eating it?

Girls, your heart is at stake! Your purity, your future husband and your future children. Not to mention your little siblings who are watching you.

What if he is meant for later on down the road? Perfect. You can wait; for all things not in His time are not beautiful. God is bigger than our no.

Is compromise considerable when it comes to the 2^nd most important decision in our life? It's difficult to be objective when our feelings are tangled up in the matter. I know. But we must let God guide us. It is imperative. If we manipulate our circumstances now, we will never know if “he” really was the one or not. When hard times come, you will doubt.

Does God know who we will marry? Absolutely! Then, why do we struggle?

We struggle because we choose to side with our flesh instead of choosing to love that man. If we truly loved him we wouldn't vaunt ourselves, we wouldn't seek our own. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

We love the enjoyment we get out of the relationship more than we love the person himself. It's true. If we know continuing down this relationship path is potentially harmful, or not His will, less than good, than to continue on anyway is purely selfish.

“It has been said that we never really love anyone until we can do without them for their good.” (Hannah Whitall Smith in God is Enough, 139)

Convicting. He has someone picked out for us. If He is silent on the matter of who our man is, it's on purpose. There is a reason. Our outward conduct is important, but so is our inward. For as a man thinketh, so is he...and what is in the heart we will speak. What is in our heart we will do. Even if sub-consciously we have decided we won't take a stand, then we won't. It is possible for a Christian young woman to revel in selfishness. Or, we can take a stand. Of course our fathers can help us in this....but ultimately it is your choice whether to give your heart away or not. Let's take a stand. Your heart is worth fighting for.

 Never give in to compromise.

Quote of the Day

"He who sides with God cannot fail to win in every encounter; and whether the result shall be joy or sorrow, failure or success, death or life, we may, under all circumstances, join in the Apostle's shout of victory, 'Thanks be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ!'"  Hannah Whittall Smith 

Quote of the Day

"Your emotions may be delightful, or they may be very depressing.  In neither case are they any real indication of your spiritual state.  Your joy in the Lord is a far deeper thing than a mere emotion.  It is to be the joy of knowledge, or perception, of actual existence.  It is far better to be a bird, with all the actual realities of flying, than only to feel as if you are a bird, with no actual power of flying at all.  Reality is always the vital thing."  ~ Hannah W. Smith   

Quote of the Day

"As the violet abides peacefully in its place, content to receive its daily portion without concerning itself...so must we repose in the present moment as it comes to us from God, content with our daily portion and without anxious thoughts, sure that all things will be made to prosper us.

This is the kind of growth in grace in which we who have entered into the life of full trust believe.  We can have a growth without care or anxiety on our part.  We can blossom out into flower and fruit and become like a 'tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper'. (Psalm 1:3)." ~ Hannah Whitall Smith, God is Enough, 101

Spiritual Lessons

A Desert Flower 

Do you seem to be planted in a desert place?

I have felt that way the last few days.  I have been in a dry place...thirsting.  Of course the obvious solution would be Christ.  But sometimes He isn't that easy to apply...to find...to drink.

I searched my heart and felt convicted of a few things.  When it all came down to it...it was my meditations that were under attack.  I was full of my thoughts and they roared.  I couldn't hear Him.  He allowed the dryness to show me what I was missing.  

In my searching I came across Psalm 63:1-8 "O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is....Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee...My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips...

I stopped there.  Satisfied as with marrow and fatness.  I longed to be satisfied.  I was the the antithesis of satisfied.  I felt anxious...wanting...  "With marrow and fatness".  I smiled here.  I remember as a little girl reading the Palms and Proverbs and being amused with the Bible's allegories of "fat bones" and such.  But it made sense to me just now.  On my elimination diet I went through a time of having no fats. Did you know that healthy fats give the brain thinking power?  They also satisfy hunger.  I remember when I first had fat back in my diet.  I devoured it!  I licked the casserole dish clean.  I had never experienced relishing the actual fat...I consumed it and it physically made me feel happy and full and alert and...satisfied.   Christ says that our souls can be satisfied as with marrow and fatness.  

What kept me from this satisfaction?  I knew I needed Him.  I knew I longed for Him.  What stood in my way from consuming and relishing Him?  The problem was I was already full.  Full of my things.  And they were good things.  Innocent things.  And yet, it is simply vain words to talk of wanting Him when I deliberately fill myself with distracting (though innocent) thoughts of self.  

It caused me to take a hard look at my life.  What was it full of?  What had He asked me to do?   Was I doing it?  I realized that in almost every relationship that I have, I was lacking in communication and connection.  I didn't have time to hear simple things...to participate in the small worthwhile moments that make up our memories, to invest in people that matter, to be aware of other's needs.  Hours passed without me.  Weeks flew by.  All because somewhere down the road I stopped filling my thoughts with Him and started feasting on my own thoughts.  Because He is a just God He knows He can't force-feed His children.  Love is a choice.  

So I made the simple choice to fill myself with Him.  Of course with this choice came some sacrifice of other things.  Innocent fun things.  Things others can do, but were causing me to be distracted.  With this choice comes the small cost of solitude.  Choosing Him sometimes includes a loneliness in certain areas. And with my personality, being "left out" is the last thing that I want.  But.... I can say with total honesty that it's worth it.  He has already stepped in and started working in relationships.  He didn't reveal Himself suddenly or dramatically, but simply, quietly...and this morning I realized:  I'm satisfied. 

"Do you seem to be planted in a desert soil where nothing can grow?  Put yourself into the hands of the good Husbandman, and He will at once begin to make that very desert blossom as the rose... (Jer. 17:8)
It is the great prerogative of our divine Husbandman that He is able to turn any soil, whatever it may be like, into the soil of grace the moment we put our growing into His hands.  He does not need to transplant us into a different field, but right where we are, with just the circumstances that surround us, He makes His sun to shine and His dew to fall on us, and transforms the very things that were greatest hindrances into the chiefest and most blessed means of our growth."  ~ Hannah Whitall Smith, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, 179   

Quote of the Day

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles." Isaiah 40:31 

"Is there no way of escape for us when in trouble or distress? Must we just plod wearily through it all, and look for no relief? I rejoice to answer that there is a glorious way of escape for every one of us, if we will but mount up on wings, and fly away from it all to God. All creatures that have wings can escape from every snare that is set for them, if only they will fly high enough; and the soul that uses its wings can always find a sure 'way to escape' from all that can hurt or trouble it. What then are these wings? Their secret is contained in the words 'They that wait upon the Lord.' The soul that waits upon the Lord is the soul that is entirely surrendered to Him, ant hat trusts Him perfectly. Therefore we might name our wings the wings of Surrender and of Trust. If we will only surrender ourselves utterly to the Lord, and will trust Him perfectly, we shall find our souls 'mounting up with wings as eagles' to the 'heavenly places' in Christ Jesus, where earthly annoyances or sorrows have no power to disturb us." (By Hannah Whitall Smith - Joy and Strength P. 117)

Quote of the Day

I haven't posted much detail about my health here on the blog... but today at 2:00 I am going in to the Doctor's for a pretty big test.  The Doctor's are concerned about a few things and want to rule out some possibilities that could be rather serious.  

Because of my health issues, struggles, pain and sickness has been on my mind lately.  

Christianity doesn't make life a bed of roses.  Actually Christians and the lost suffer many of the same hardships.  Christianity does not save us Christians from sufferings, and taking on Christ does not automatically guarantee prosperity.  Hardships do come to the Christian.  Yet, hardships do not come because God is a severe God, but in His loving kindness He allows deep wounds so He may bestow that much more of Himself.  Of course it is hard.  Of course it still hurts.  

Although, I have it easier than the lost.  When I hurt I have Someone to hold onto, when I cry I have Someone who comforts me, when I despair I have Someone who is Hope and Peace. The lost doesn't. He is the only reason life is good.  He is the only reason life is worth living.  God is there in every season of my life...when it's hard, when it hurts, when I'm happy.  All of it.  Through hardships He draws me closer.  Because of Him, hardships are a good thing.  With Christ I don't receive a guarantee from trials but a present help in those trials.    

"The truth is that His care is infinitely superior.  He takes note of the minutest matters that can affect the lives of His children and regulates them all according to His own perfect will, let their origins be what they may."  -- Hannah Whitall Smith, Christians Secret of a Happy Life, 48