If you wanna help me change the world, you must first start with YOURSELF. Sounds practical enough right? Until you attempt to drop an old habit, quit an on going addiction/vice, or leave a bad situation. The reality is, we CAN'T change ourselves. We NEED a Savior for that.
Do you believe in God? Do you believe in Jesus?
Some of us believe that it's too hard to follow God, too many rules and regulations. Some of us believe that as long as we try hard to be good people, do our best, give to charity, & feed the homeless then we're good with God. Some of us compare ourselves to others. Believing that if I'm not doing half the things Joe is doing, & Joe sucks as a person; then I'm doing great! I'm not that bad.
If Joe is a believer, of God & Jesus dying for our sins, although he may be selfish, rude, & just got out of jail for murder. If you & Joe both died today and Jesus asked why should I let you into my gates, do you think He'd let you in if you told him, "well i worked hard, was kind to people, and I did my very best to be a good person in this life." ??
Anyone who feels that they have done "their best" will be condemned. There is no dependency on ourselves and no amount of works that could get us in heaven if we don't believe that Jesus died for our sins. So getting to the gates and telling Jesus that you should get in because YOU did your best or because you were a good person, suggests that Jesus dying on the cross was insufficient. "People are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in god who forgives sinners." Romans 4:5 "So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. AND WE ARE ALL CERTAIN TO RECEIVE IT, WHETHER OR NOT WE LIVE ACCORDING TO THE LAW .." Romans 4:16 "..God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God." Romans 4:24-25
So what about all the rules and regulations right??
Romans 3:20-31 tells us this:
Doing perfectly what God's moral law requires is IMPOSSIBLE. EVERY PERSON is cursed by that inability. NO ONE can be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law makes sin known, showing us how sinful we are, proving the universal sinfulness of man, and the NEED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Righteousness is impossible to gain by human effort. GOD IS IT'S SOURCE. We receive righteousness through Christ & Christ's death. God can bestow his righteousness on all who believe. We receive the gift of grace by faith alone. Our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. Emphasizing faith does NOT mean that we can forget about the law, in fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
So basically, all of our sins are already taken care of and we are existing in A CONSTANT STATE OF GRACE.
Grace: the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. The condition of being in God's favor. "Immunity", if you will.
"God's grace has set us free from the law. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace." Romans 6:14 "Realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey. You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. " Romans 6:15-16
A lot of people don't go to church because they feel that whats being spoken about is impractical and irrelevant to them. No concrete application to their everyday lives. This implies that as a listener you know what you need and what's best for you. But how is this so?
He knit us together in our mothers womb. He watched us as we were being formed in utter seclusion, as we were woven together in the dark of the womb. He saw us before we were born. Every day of our lives were recorded in his book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:13-18
So how is it that we know what we need & what's best for ourselves? Trusting in our own power as creator and sustainer is foolish. Do you trust God more than you trust what your own hands have made?? "Claiming to be wise, they instead become utter fools." Romans 1:22
Only those who acknowledge that they need HIM will be saved.
Prayer is a form of acknowledgement. Prayer shows that we NEED GOD. That we are dependent upon him. And when we don't pray it's as if we feel we don't need him.
Many people are ready to give their lives to Christ if someone would show them how. Jesus commands us to pray that people will responded to this need for workers. Often we pray for something, & God answers our prayers by using us. Be prepared for God to use you to show another person the way to him. Matthew 9:36-38
So from my heart to yours,
.."Asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you the spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called, his holy people who are his rich glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms"... Ephesians 1:17-20
Recently I read a book called "Every Young Woman's Battle" by Shannon Ethridge & Stephen Arterburn. It had a lot of really great concepts, information, & HELP for women in general. But especially for young women seeking purity. I definitely recommend it or any of the other books in the series : " Every Young Man's Battle " " Every Woman's Battle " " Every Mans Battle "
I was so captivated by the book I wanted to share some of the things that stood out for me in my reading.
Guys vs Girls
Guys are motivated by an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT set of factors than girls are. They are built for visual stimulation. Females are built for relational stimulation, emotional bonding.
Guys:
Driven by physical desires
Crave physical intimacy
Stimulated by what they see
Give love to get sex
Body can disconnect from mind, heart, & spirit
Girls:
Driven by emotional desires
Crave emotional intimacy
Stimulates by what they hear & feel
Give sex to get love
Body, mind, heart & spirit intricately connected
Imtimacy = in to me see
For a woman, the relationship is the prize; sex is simply the price she pays to get the prize.
All temptations are common. And because God creates all human beings as sexual beings, sexual & relational temptations are the most common.
"The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."
(1 Corinthians 10:13NLT)
Imagine what it would be like when two sexually pure people get married. He has guarded his heart & bounced his eyes (immediately look away at something else), & she is the only naked woman he has ever seen. Can you imagine how amazing she would be to him? And she has never been held so intimately that she knows the smell of any man's skin but his. She has no one to compare his touch & caress to. Guilt free sex! No comparisons. No disappointment. No guilt or shame.
.. No man should engage a womans heart in the way a husband would unless he intends to marry her. Not just talking about it, like one day. But dating with a purpose & intentionality. Nothing less. Dating one person with the intention of getting married.
A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her -Lucado
Think of your sexuality as a table. Just as a table has 4 legs that give it balance, our sexuality is also comprised of 4 distinct components that bring balance to our lives. 1) physical 2) mental 3) emotional 4) spiritual. If one of the legs of a table is missing or broken, the table easily loses it's balance & becomes a slide instead. When one of the legs of your sexuality buckles your life can become a slippery slope leading to discontentment, sexual compromise, self-loathing, & emotional brokenness.
Sexuality is not what you do, it's who you are. It's not about just remaining physically abstinent. Try your best to guard your heart, mind, & body against compromise that threatens your sexual integrity. Seek trusted accountability; a friend who can encourage you. A wise mentor can sharpen you, not judge you.
John 14:15-17
Masturbation does NOT satisfy sexual desires; it intensifies them. If you give in to your sexual desires through masturbation, you do not gain practice in self control. If you can't control your desires when your alone you definitely won't be able to control your desires when your with someone else.
ONCE YOU AWAKEN YOUR SEXUAL DESIRES, YOU WILL FIND THEM HARD TO PUT BACK TO SLEEP ..But not impossible!
"The only way to kill a habit is to starve it to death." It might be painful but not as painful as letting it rule over you.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
Ephesians 5:3
Our pride says, " God may want me to wait until marriage, but I don't want to. His way takes too long & too much self control. I'll just take care of things myself, my way."
Just because we are tempted, doesn't mean we have to give in. Don't entertain it. Resist. ( Hebrews 4:15-16 ; Matthew 5:27-28 )
If you want to be a young woman of sexual integrity, you may need to let go of some of your freedoms (in dress, thoughts, speech, & behavior) in order to serve the best interest of others out of love. Don't dress to seek make attention, but you don't have to limit your wardrobe to ankle length skirts & turtleneck sweaters either. No self seeking or seductive motives. Your beauty should shine from the inside out.
Painting a new picture of perfect beauty. "Charm is deceptive & beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" Proverbs 31:30
"Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." (1 Peter 3:3, 4 NLT)
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. (1 Corinthians 10:23, 24 NLT)
In other words: You can do most anything, but it isn't always in your best interest or in the interest of others. Focus NOT on what is 'allowed,' but on what is best for all involved.
Luke 17:2
James 3:5-6
Someone Caught your eye???
Attention - Attention is based on what you see. Physical appearance, which progresses to attraction ONLY as a result of multiple conversations getting to know each other. No such thing as love at first sight. Green Light.
Attraction - It's reasonable for a girl to meet a very ordinary looking guy, pay little attention to him, but later get attracted once she gets to know him; because females are stimulated more by what they hear than what they see. Green Light.
God wants us to appreciate one another & be drawn to one another in Christian Love. BUT focus your love & adoration on the Creator, not just the creation.
Affection - Check your motives behind the affection expressed. Hanging out (group events) & exploring the possibilities of a future. Strengths & weaknesses. Yellow Light.
Attachment - imagine a strip of clear packing tape. Sticky & eager to bond with anything it touches. Once attached it won't come off without tearing the box & leaving paper residue on the tape. The tape might be sticky enough to bond to something else, but the more you attach & remove it, the less sticky it becomes. Eventually, it loses it's bonding ability all together. Yellow Light.
Affairs - control your appetite for unhealthy relationships! Red Light.
Addiction - Romance & sexual activities can be more addicting than drugs or alcohol. Red Light.
Having a relationship doesn't rid you of all your problems; your only exchanging one set of problems for a different set of problems. If your wounded & incomplete, you will attract the same, & the two of you will multiply the negative factors of each other.Two people who drain each other because they have nothing to invest makes for a very unhealthy, unfulfilling relationship.
You can't change or save anyone. Only God can successfully complete that task. Love does not change a broken persons behavior. It only validates it.
The Messiah complex: tendency for caring people to become rescuers who try deliver others from their problems & difficult life circumstances.
A good relationship is more about BECOMING the right person than FINDING the right person.
Evil and injustice seem to have the upper hand in the world we live in but don't be discouraged.
It isn't easy to be patient, but it helps to remember that God hates sin even more than we do. Punishment of sin will certainly come. "Wait Patiently." To trust God fully means to trust him even when we don't understand why events occur as they do.
"Be patient! i will work out my plans in my perfect timing." -God
(Habakkuk 1:2-5)
