Hello, 2015

As 2014 comes to a close, I remind myself how great this year has been. It has been hard at times, but great none the less. This past year was filled with amazing blessing and many lessons with hardships as I grew in my walk with Christ and I am incredibly grateful for each. As 2015 begins, I am reminding myself how great of a purpose we have in God and that He has a perfect plan for each and every one of our lives. Whatever goals you have set for yourself know that all things are possible with Christ and that the greatest things come when keep our eyes fixed on Him. An important lesson I am being taught is to wait. I know God has the perfect plan for me and I trust Him with my life. However, God isn't going to make that plan completely clear, or in other words, I am not going to simply wake up and know that plan all in one piece. I know each and every step will be made clear when I am ready to receive it. And in between knowing those steps we are called to wait on the Lord. As we wait, we dig down deep into God's word and become wiser. The times when things are unclear and you don't know what lays ahead, you have peace in knowing that God does know and He will show you at the proper time. He promises us this. (Isaiah 64:4) So as you take on this New Year, I pray that you would find love, peace, and truth in Christ, and that if you know Him you would continue to focus on what He has in store for you. If you don't know who Christ is, but want to learn more about the One who created you, loves you immeasurably, and the One who has an amazing plan for your life- click here. 

Jeremiah 29:11

  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 Happy New Year, friends!

Hey now, this is my desire.

Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.
            Psalms 37:4

Lately, I have been learning the lesson of letting go. For awhile, now, dating has appealed more and more to me. I asked for God's guidance on who was the right guy and to direct my feelings if they guy right in front of me wasn't in His plan. At first, I had just became more and more attracted to Him, but then slowly everything started falling apart. I can remember standing in my room, crying harder than I have ever before:

Lord, I just don't understand. Why...why....why. I know you have a plan for me. I know you have a guy waiting for me. I know I have to seek you first before you will show me who that is and I have prayed if it is not your will that you would lead me away from him. I know if I follow your will that I will be saving myself from heartbreaks. So why does this hurt so badly now?

I kept praying and God kept showing me more and more clearly that this one individual wasn't the one He had for me. However, I was still around him all the time and whether or not I was admitting it to myself or not- I was still clinging to the idea that maybe someday it would be in God's plan. Maybe not now, but at some point I would get what I thought was best.
Many times our world becomes way to small. Take a moment and think of how great and mighty the God who holds our hearts is. How could we every think for one moment we could come up with something more perfect than His plan?
I began to see that I limiting God because the things I see as perfect can not even compare to the perfection of His purpose for me and my heart.
At this point, it was so vividly clear in my mind and heart that I had to let go and it wasn't easy. However, the only way I could let go of a relationship I had convinced myself was perfect was to trust my Lord with all my heart and to lean on Him and His understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
Letting go for me was a process. Not as in I let go a little at a time, but in the way that it got easier everyday.
Tonight as I was going about my evening I began to think about how at peace my heart is and how comforting it is to know that you are exactly where God wants you to be- you are completely surrendered to Him. God spoke to my heart through His word and everything suddenly was so clear.

Delight yourself in me and I will give you the desires of your heart....

I thought if I kept my focus on God and trust in Him, He would give me the desire for that guy to lead me through a dating relationship. When really whenever we completely look to our Savior and delight in Him, our only desire is to grow more in Him and to be drawn closer in His love- the truest of all. Whenever we surrender to that true love, it brings the deepest peace and comfort. Far more than any other person could give you on their own.
I challenge you and hope that if their is anything you are holding on too that is not God's love, you would feel God's strength and let go and hold on to the One who holds this world in His hands. I promise you that He has the most perfect plan for your life and He knows what perfect is because He humbled Himself to come show us that when He died on the cross for our sins.

Lord, thank you for giving me the trials to make me have a stronger faith in you. Thank you for the times when I didn't understand because it was then that you gave me wisdom. Thank you for loving me unconditionally and being with me everyday even when I couldn't see you. I love you.

What I Know

Emptiness. I can never say that I have ever looked at someone and seen a completely empty life, that is, until this year. Two weeks ago, I started my second year of my high school career. I already knew God had a powerful plan for my life and one that would not only bring joy from encouraging others, but deep growth in knowing just how much my Savior, Jesus Christ, means to me. These past two months or so have been the most challenging months I have ever experienced. They have been filled with many lessons that come with hard trials. However, I have never seen God working so consistently than He is right now. You see the only thing I want, the only thing I need is to hold on to the promises my God gives me. Everything else is pointless. Everything else is empty. I asked Jesus to live in my heart when I was ten years old and ever since then I have been pursing a closer relationship with Him. Sadly, I have witnessed a strong and heartbreaking truth these last few weeks. A truth I have known all my life, but have never seen it as vividly taking place in someone else's life. My eyes have been opened to people who are without God and everything about them is empty. There is no depth to their emotions-no purpose for getting up in the morning other than to scrape a red sharpie over a small box on a calendar. They have nothing to live for and it has truly broken my heart. I pray for them- I pray that God may use me as a light to show them what love is and that God does have a purpose for them everyday and to live without Him is like living in a horror film. Because without God leading me everyday, I too would be completely empty. But in Christ I am not who I could be, but who I was created to be. I hope you see the depths of all these truths and catch a glimpse of just how much YOU mean to God.

As I said earlier, these past few months have been incredibly difficult to persevere through. And it is hard to sit in a class and hear someone teach philosophies and theories that don't line up with the Bible, but at the same time, I know I was placed in that class for a reason. God is preparing me and using me when I least expect it. And I want those people to know who is the One who holds this world in His hands. These are just some thoughts that have been on my heart the last couple of days that I wanted to share with you and I encourage you to read some of my other posts.



I don't have all of it figured out, but what I know is You, my God, are real.












Dear Lord, give me a kind and  joyful heart so I can share you word and love with those around me. Give me boldness to speak your truth and strength when it's hard too. Thank you for all the trials that have made me stronger. Please, continue to guide my heart with everything on my mind right now. I love you.
                                              Your Daughter

Look to Him

You're struggling. You feel like you couldn't possibly be more overwhelmed than you are right now. You are a son or daughter of the one true King. Yet, Satan, your enemy, is attacking you at every angle possible. He throws lies at you about your faith and whispers thoughts into your mind such as, "Why are you even doing this?" "Isn't it time you drop this whole faith thing and just give up?" But let me tell you something. Don't ever give up. In those moments, where you feel like the breath has been knocked out of you, or you feel like he has just kicked you right in the stomach. You put on the belt of truth, (Ephesians 6) and you say, " I am a child of God and you can't lay a hand on me. My heavenly Father has defeated you over death and He will defeat you now in this very moment. After feeling that strong truth in your heart and mind, turn around and run and leap into God's arms. He will then comfort you. But the devil wants to keep you wrapped up in the chaos. He is the father of lies and wants to hide you from the truth. During the chaos, he wants to keep you as far away from God as possible; he wants you to believe that there isn't a way out. One of the lies he has thrown at me this week is the idea, "Stop, don't pick up your bible. It will just leave you more overwhelmed." No! God's word brings peace and guidance. I reached the point today that I picked up all the things that God uses to speak to me, His word, my commentary, a devotional book by Charles Stanley, and my Sunday School study guide. I went into a room where I knew I wouldn't be bothered and left my phone on the other side of the house. (I know... it is crazy hearing that someone actually left their phone for more than five minutes, but friends, your time with God is more important than Twitter or Instagram.) So, like I was saying I found a place where I would have absolutely no distraction and had some father/daughter time with my Savior. And that is the best decision you can make today- to just take however long you need to in order for God to speak to you. I promise if you do you will find comfort. He will give you strength to get through whatever you are facing. We live in a evil, fallen world that throws all sorts of things to get us off the path of walking wisely with our Savior, but God will guide you in this life and you will find rest and joy in Him.   It is possible for you to live a victorious life filled with pure happiness, but you can only do that by looking to Him. A verse that I came over today that really gave me some truth and guidance was found in 1 Corinthians 13:7. Chapter 13 talks about true love. Verse 6 &7 reads, Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres. After reading that, I broke the words down in a way that I could see the idea better.

1. God's love will always protect you. Whatever battle or trial you are going through in your spiritual walk with God, he will protect you.
2. God's love gives you truth. All the lies that Satan is throwing at you can be destroyed if we look to God. He will breathe truth into your heart and give you peace.
3. Once we hear God's truth, we find hope in the fact that we aren't facing the storms of life alone because God loves us always.
4. And then, once we know we are protected, have God's truth in our hearts, and see the hope that He gives us, we find the strength to persevere in order to overcome what we are going through.

 Perhaps you feel extremely lost and overwhelmed and don't know of the love I speak of, but you want to know God and find that love. So that, you don't have to live in this world alone any more. Maybe you want to make the decision right now to ask Jesus into your heart and be free from the hurt of this world. If so, I want to direct you in the plan and purpose God has for your life that starts with receiving His free gift of salvation. http://intouch.org/god

Someone Much Greater

School closes and summer begins. We all anticipate making beautiful memories filled with phenomenal moments. The last week of school you dream about what will come out of those three months and how much fun you will have with all of your new friends. At least, that is what my thought process has been. You see, before my freshmen year, I spent my last three years in the back room of my mom's children store only thinking about school and, well, quite honestly I have kind of forgotten that part of me. It was only a year ago, but everything changed so quickly-everything shifted, but one thing stayed true- my purpose. I still had my eyes focused on my Savior, Jesus Christ. I knew God had something planned from the beginning of freshmen year. It was hard- coming back to public school and starting high school. And I know my personality didn't exactly reflect what I truly intended, but I always tried to keep in mind why I was where I was.
So many things are swirling in my head, Lord.... so many thoughts and views. Show me what you are trying to tell me. Speak to my heart and make all of this clear. I need you most.
So summer started and I began working at my Dad's clinic. Everything has seemed busy. I haven't exactly began fulfilling the intentions I have had about this summer. I mean, I know perfectly well that we are only two weeks deep in summer, but something is just digging at my heart.
Lord, just give me the words.
It is easy to become part of this world, but as God's children we are told to stand out, to shine His light. I want to do just that, but the world around us tempts and throws lies at us. This week, as I said earlier, has been busy with me starting my job at my Dad's clinic. For the last few days I have drifting away from God and my studying His word. It's only been a few days, but I don't even feel....me. Some thoughts have been whirling around in my head.... worldly things and views. I guess is the way to put it. Anyways, it was just earlier today that all of a sudden I had this feeling or moment of realization. Without Christ we are truly nothing. I have been really excited about cheer ever since I found out I made the squad. I pray that I won't put on the familiar "fake cheerleader smile",  but instead show a joy that makes people curious-makes people wonder what makes me different. And then I would be able to share with them about who gives the ultimate fulfillment and happiness that you feel deep inside your soul, because that does exist through God. I know that for a fact and it is what I hunger for every moment of every day. But we live in an evil, fallen world that doesn't want us to be happy or content. It lures us in paths that seem fun and risky, ways that we should follow so we can "have something stupid to share with our grandkids." However, it leads to regrets and ungodliness. Those people may look like they are having the time of their lives, but in reality, they are empty and looking for something that will satisfy and fill the gaps. To get to the point, I have been excited about many different things that I know will unfold in the next few months, but I have started looking it through a different perspective-slowly. And I finally got hit with the fact that I am not even excited anymore- those plans and things mean nothing if I don't have God walking right beside me. I want him to control my life and along the way he will bless me. I know if I don't have Him walking with me I will miss out on all the beauty that He enables you to see through His eyes. I won't have true happiness. I want to grow into a wise strong woman who loves with a true love, only found in her Savior. I want to leave a legacy when I leave high school and be available for God to use me in whatever ways He chooses. And he is waiting for you to do the same. He waits with open arms and I promise you He will bless you and love you like no one else. He created you and knows you better than anyone else. And most of all, He will never leave you. I hope that we all at some point find our way to God's arms and find true happiness that isn't of this world- but much better, because there is someone much greater, my Lord is much greater.
I love you, Lord. All of me wants all of you-always.

We Could Soar On Wings Like Eagles

It hurts me to watch teenagers with the attitude of " You only live once." "Come on loosen up, stop worrying, have fun for once." The students who engage themselves in parties every weekend. The people who have no self respect and who started off saying they would never harm themselves in those ways. They believe that if they take part in these activities they are living their life to its fullest and having fun, but truly- they aren't. I have sat and watched a close friend become distant, who has become someone I hardly recognize. An individual who takes pride in making poor decisions every weekend and then comes to school bragging about it. And I can honestly say one of the hardest things is to sit and watch one of your best friends harm themselves. The problem is that people around me try to explain to me "Everyone goes through a party stage." "This is the real world, stop worrying about everyone so much, live your own life." Yes, we live in a fallen, evil world, but that doesn't mean we have to follow the ways of the world. One thing I wish I could explain to every teenager on this earth is that living your life to the fullest- is something you can only accomplish while walking with Jesus Christ. Only He can give you the satisfaction of living the most miraculous and joyful plan of all. A plan to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) Teenagers worry that if they have a close relationship with God that they won't be able to have any fun. But you are completely incorrect if you believe in that statement. Following God is the best decision you could ever make. He gives you the greatest joy, love, and fulfillment. He works and speaks through you in unspeakable ways and the greatest filling is knowing that you are being apart of God working in someone else's life. If each of us would put all of our hope in God, we could be part of something so much greater. We could even soar on wings like eagles. (Isaiah 40:31)