I've been really frustrated recently. Partly because people who I care about are struggling, partly because I'm struggling, and I just want to hear the truth! Its like I'm standing in a crowded room trying to listen to one voice, yet the others are so overwhelming and loud I can't hear.
Its like I want to just scream "Shut UP!" I miss talking to my dad. I miss cuddling up in his lap and having him read to me from his word and teach me new things. I love hanging out with him, I love being with him and I love how he constantly meets me every day with something new!
Yet in the craziness of my own life, in the craziness of our lives, we forget. We get wrapped up in what church we go to, what things we say, how we present ourselves, what we are doing so share the gospel, how we are moving forward, who is mentoring us, who we are discipling, etc. And don't get me wrong those things are important, but thet are second! The first and biggest thing we need to be focused on is our relationship with Christ. Afterall he is the only one who can put us back together. He is the only one who can meet our needs. We can't do anything unless he is moving through us. Yet we forget that. It's what am I doing, when it should be "God what do you want to teach me today?"
We are mirrors that reflect both the light and life of Christ. Yet because we are fallen, our mirror is cracked and chipped all over the place. When we focus first on reflecting before we allow God to fix some of those cracks, we don't display the glory of God. However, when we take the time to allow God to patch us up, fillin some of those cracks, spray a little windex on us...thats when we start reflecting the imense glory of who God is. And the crazy thing is that, when we are allowing God to move in our lives first, thats when we shine the brightest! It's not about us...it never was and never will be. Its also not about what we can do because we are completly and totally inadequate without the Holy Spirit. Some people might not like that because it means that somehow they aren't good enough. But I love it! I'm not good enough! YES! I'm inadequet, yet in my inadequacy, God's grace allows me to be used! Holy cow is that humbling. We can't choose God, but he chose us! He chose me to be his daughter and he chose you to be his child. How loving, how crazy and insanely amazing does that make God. He cares about us so much! He died because he cared so much!
What have you forgotten? Have you forgotten what his arms feel like, or what his voice sound like? Have you forgotten that you need him or that your inadequate without his divine intervention? Have you gone at it alone, trusting in your own power rather then his? Or have you forgotten his love?
I want to challenge all of you, and I am lumping myself in also, but I challenge everyone one of you for a week to stop doing...stop talking...and just listen. Ask God what he wants to teach you and how he wants to grow you, and then wait on him. I don't know what that looks like in each of your lives, and I don't know how God is going to respond. But one thing I do know is that God answers those who call on him and he blesses them. Some things are gonna be hard to hear, convicting, loving, teaching, rebuking...but God wants to show each one of you something. So stop looking out into the world for what you can do, and look up at the one who created you.
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." - 2Corinthians 4:6-7
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Abide in my Love
Its funny how the first thing we thing about when we think of God is love. When asked to define a characteristic of God we say that he is love, yet do any of us really understand this aspect of God? I think we want to believe it means that he loves us with this fluffy kind of love, but when you really look into it you begin to see that he loves us with an everlastingly perfect love. Most of us agree that when we are walking with God we feel loved, we feel close to him and we feel safe, and therefore we love him back. It is also interesting to note that we often love God the most when we feel his love the most. Therfore our love for the creator is most often times conditional. Whenever our world gets rocked we turn into two year olds and think God is being mean and doesn't love us.
But God says "abide in my love." Again I ask, what does this mean? Well when I hear the word abide I think of rest. So rest in his love. That sounds so peaceful, just to crawl into Gods lap and feel his love surround me. And thats really what it means, but how do we do that? How do we abide regardless of the circumstances?
God gives us promise after promise in the Bible. "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." "I have a plan for you declares the lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
God is patient, he waits for us as we do our own thing. It says in Isaiah that God waitied in quietness. "This is what the Lord says 'I will remain quiet and look on from my dwelling place.'" An army was moving against Isreal. In my mind this would not have been the time for God to sit back and be quiet. But God was being patient with Isreal; he was waiting for them to turn thier eyes upon him and trust in him for delieverance.
Gods love is kind. I think this is the love we talk about the most but rarely acknowledge. When our day is hard, his love is the rainbow we see in the sky, or a smile from a friend, or a hug from a family member. I remeber that someone told me "anytime someone shows you love, that is God showing you love through that person." I think back to every time someone has written something nice to me or given me encouragement when felt down...Gods love is kind!
Now in Corinthians 13 it says that love is not jealous or boastful. However, since Gods love is perfect, he is jealous us of. God created us, he knows us perfectly and intimatly. When we fix our eyes on someone or something else he becomes jealous. When we become jealous we often say, "What does that person have that I don't?" God says, "I wish they could see that what they are running after has no lasting value."
God also boasts about us. The clearest picture we have of this is when God boasts about Job. Satan comes into God court after wandering across the world. God says, "Have you considered my sevant Job?" He brags about him saying, "Ther is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." See when God brags, he tells the truth. His bragging brings our best to light.
God also delights in us. When I think about that I think back to the passage that says, "he delights over us with singing." I think of a father dancing with his younger daughter or playing catch with his son and the joy in his face when we look up at him with innocent eyes.
God is not rude, he is not self-seeking, and he is not easily angered. I want to stop at the last one and define it more. God is not easily angered; but how can this be true when it says that God is a God of wrath? That is entirely true, however his anger and wrath don't come on the moment you first sin. Infact it says in Exodus 34:6 "The Lord is a commpassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness." In Psalms 30:5 is says "For his anger only lasts a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime." Gods anger is very real, but he does not become angry quickly.
God love keeps no record of wrongs. This is unbelievably true although often times impossible for us to understand. Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Once we place our faith in him, our sin is gone. Now this doesn't mean we never sin, but when we do God looks at us through the lense of Christs body. He knows we sin, but he doesn't tally our failures so that when we come back to him after walking away he says "well I don't know if I can forgive you, afer all you have done that 15 times already..." Its a hard concept to grasp, but as soon as we are forgiven, it is forgotten! He casts our sin as far as the east is from the west...which when you stop and thiink about that is infinatly far.
Gods love always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perserveres. Humanly it is impssible to protect the way God protects us. Humanly it is impossible for us to perserver the way God does after us.
So abide in his love, find rest and comfort in his perfect promise to love, teach and guide you.
"Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatestof these is love."
~Catie
But God says "abide in my love." Again I ask, what does this mean? Well when I hear the word abide I think of rest. So rest in his love. That sounds so peaceful, just to crawl into Gods lap and feel his love surround me. And thats really what it means, but how do we do that? How do we abide regardless of the circumstances?
God gives us promise after promise in the Bible. "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." "I have a plan for you declares the lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
God is patient, he waits for us as we do our own thing. It says in Isaiah that God waitied in quietness. "This is what the Lord says 'I will remain quiet and look on from my dwelling place.'" An army was moving against Isreal. In my mind this would not have been the time for God to sit back and be quiet. But God was being patient with Isreal; he was waiting for them to turn thier eyes upon him and trust in him for delieverance.
Gods love is kind. I think this is the love we talk about the most but rarely acknowledge. When our day is hard, his love is the rainbow we see in the sky, or a smile from a friend, or a hug from a family member. I remeber that someone told me "anytime someone shows you love, that is God showing you love through that person." I think back to every time someone has written something nice to me or given me encouragement when felt down...Gods love is kind!
Now in Corinthians 13 it says that love is not jealous or boastful. However, since Gods love is perfect, he is jealous us of. God created us, he knows us perfectly and intimatly. When we fix our eyes on someone or something else he becomes jealous. When we become jealous we often say, "What does that person have that I don't?" God says, "I wish they could see that what they are running after has no lasting value."
God also boasts about us. The clearest picture we have of this is when God boasts about Job. Satan comes into God court after wandering across the world. God says, "Have you considered my sevant Job?" He brags about him saying, "Ther is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." See when God brags, he tells the truth. His bragging brings our best to light.
God also delights in us. When I think about that I think back to the passage that says, "he delights over us with singing." I think of a father dancing with his younger daughter or playing catch with his son and the joy in his face when we look up at him with innocent eyes.
God is not rude, he is not self-seeking, and he is not easily angered. I want to stop at the last one and define it more. God is not easily angered; but how can this be true when it says that God is a God of wrath? That is entirely true, however his anger and wrath don't come on the moment you first sin. Infact it says in Exodus 34:6 "The Lord is a commpassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness." In Psalms 30:5 is says "For his anger only lasts a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime." Gods anger is very real, but he does not become angry quickly.
God love keeps no record of wrongs. This is unbelievably true although often times impossible for us to understand. Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Once we place our faith in him, our sin is gone. Now this doesn't mean we never sin, but when we do God looks at us through the lense of Christs body. He knows we sin, but he doesn't tally our failures so that when we come back to him after walking away he says "well I don't know if I can forgive you, afer all you have done that 15 times already..." Its a hard concept to grasp, but as soon as we are forgiven, it is forgotten! He casts our sin as far as the east is from the west...which when you stop and thiink about that is infinatly far.
Gods love always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perserveres. Humanly it is impssible to protect the way God protects us. Humanly it is impossible for us to perserver the way God does after us.
So abide in his love, find rest and comfort in his perfect promise to love, teach and guide you.
"Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatestof these is love."
~Catie
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Abiding Comfort
Sometimes when I'm spending time with God, he shares something with me which I am completely ovewhelmed by and can't wait to share with others!
"But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possesion of is a land of mountins and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." - Deuteronomy 11:11-12
We are beginning a new year; crossing over from last year to this one. Each year is full of promise. God has amazing plans in store and he wants to lead us individually down a path of teaching and blessing. It says that the land is a land of mountains and valleys. There will be highs this year and lows this year. We will struggle spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, socially....in every way possible we will face some type of struggle. Yet it also says that the land drinks rain from heaven. Jesus tells us that he is the wellspring of life and David writes that his soul pants for living water. We need water to sustain us physically and in the same way we need Gods word to sustain us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. If we cease to go to him and drink up his word then we forget what clean, pure water tastes like.
It says that the land we are lead into is the land that the Lord God cares for. Imagine that? God leading us into a land that he has created and cares for. It also says that his eyes are on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future."
I know that verse is used so many times. But that verse is a promise. God has laid out that path we will tred on for the next year. He knows the mountains we will face, and the valleys we will be lost in. But he also knows the meadows we will walk through with him.
I take so much comfort and hope in these verses. No matter where I go, God has a plan. He knows me, he knows his will for me and because of that I truely take peace and comfort in his arms.
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you decalres the Lord." - Jeremiah 29:12-14
"But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possesion of is a land of mountins and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end." - Deuteronomy 11:11-12
We are beginning a new year; crossing over from last year to this one. Each year is full of promise. God has amazing plans in store and he wants to lead us individually down a path of teaching and blessing. It says that the land is a land of mountains and valleys. There will be highs this year and lows this year. We will struggle spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, socially....in every way possible we will face some type of struggle. Yet it also says that the land drinks rain from heaven. Jesus tells us that he is the wellspring of life and David writes that his soul pants for living water. We need water to sustain us physically and in the same way we need Gods word to sustain us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. If we cease to go to him and drink up his word then we forget what clean, pure water tastes like.
It says that the land we are lead into is the land that the Lord God cares for. Imagine that? God leading us into a land that he has created and cares for. It also says that his eyes are on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future."
I know that verse is used so many times. But that verse is a promise. God has laid out that path we will tred on for the next year. He knows the mountains we will face, and the valleys we will be lost in. But he also knows the meadows we will walk through with him.
I take so much comfort and hope in these verses. No matter where I go, God has a plan. He knows me, he knows his will for me and because of that I truely take peace and comfort in his arms.
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you decalres the Lord." - Jeremiah 29:12-14
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Through my eyes...
If I could give you anything I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes.
Isn't it funny how other people are always able to see the best things about you. We tend to see ourselves through the lens of our failures, rarely able to see our good qualities.
I love my friends because of who they are, both their short comings and there triumphs. Sometimes I think God gives me his eyes to see people as he sees them.
Know that your failures make you who you are in your triumphs. Because of your failings you learn, grow, and are able to teach others. Triumphs are based in your faith in God because he is the only one who is able to make you successful. Each of your qualities are special not because of how they affect other people but because God gave them to you. When he made you, he formed your body, picked out the color of your hair, the color of your eyes, and then sat down and added in your personality. Some he made some to sing, others to dance, others to laugh, others to sympathize, and still others to be silly. He delights over you not because your awesome but because he made you. He loved everything about you so much so that it says he delights over you with singing!
I love my friends for who they are being grown into. God has also provided an amazing guy in my life. He is incredible not because of how he makes me feel (even though I always have butterflies when I'm around him) and not because he always does what I tell him to (which is sometimes annoying but good) but because he is a man after God own heart. He is insanely teachable. He strives to be a leader and seeks wisdom from older men in his life. Whenever he has doubts, he seeks truth. He knows what it means to guard my heart because he sees me through Gods eyes and knows I'm His daughter.
If he could see himself through my eyes....he would understand why I care about him so much
If my friends could see themselves through my eyes they would understand that I butt in because I care, that I say what I do because I love them and that when I open up to them its because I know I can trust them.
I love my friend so much!! Thanks for being part of my life and walking through the good and the bad with me :)
Isn't it funny how other people are always able to see the best things about you. We tend to see ourselves through the lens of our failures, rarely able to see our good qualities.
I love my friends because of who they are, both their short comings and there triumphs. Sometimes I think God gives me his eyes to see people as he sees them.
Know that your failures make you who you are in your triumphs. Because of your failings you learn, grow, and are able to teach others. Triumphs are based in your faith in God because he is the only one who is able to make you successful. Each of your qualities are special not because of how they affect other people but because God gave them to you. When he made you, he formed your body, picked out the color of your hair, the color of your eyes, and then sat down and added in your personality. Some he made some to sing, others to dance, others to laugh, others to sympathize, and still others to be silly. He delights over you not because your awesome but because he made you. He loved everything about you so much so that it says he delights over you with singing!
I love my friends for who they are being grown into. God has also provided an amazing guy in my life. He is incredible not because of how he makes me feel (even though I always have butterflies when I'm around him) and not because he always does what I tell him to (which is sometimes annoying but good) but because he is a man after God own heart. He is insanely teachable. He strives to be a leader and seeks wisdom from older men in his life. Whenever he has doubts, he seeks truth. He knows what it means to guard my heart because he sees me through Gods eyes and knows I'm His daughter.
If he could see himself through my eyes....he would understand why I care about him so much
If my friends could see themselves through my eyes they would understand that I butt in because I care, that I say what I do because I love them and that when I open up to them its because I know I can trust them.
I love my friend so much!! Thanks for being part of my life and walking through the good and the bad with me :)
Broken promises...
Have you ever made a promise to someone that you later realized your couldn't keep? Do you remember how you felt when you had to confront them about it? The look of disappointment on their face when they realized you couldn't live up to your own commitments...
I made a commitment to God to stay single for this past semester...a commitment which I did not hold to. Instead of trusting in God and relying on his strength, I decided to trust in what I could see and what was in front of me. Choosing to do this left me with several consequences. First off, I had to stand before God and ask for forgiveness. After all, I made the commitment to Him and when I broke it I offended God first. However, I also let my friends down.
Working through forgiveness between God and I was hard but adding disappointment from my friends onto that made it much harder. As much as I hate it at times, people watch me and look up to me. I honestly don't know why anyone would want to look up to me at all cause I seem to do a pretty good job at messing up, but people do anyway. What I didn't know was that my commitment to trust in God and stay single was a really bold statement, and several people looked up to me and respected me for that. When I broke that, they lost some respect for me.
Now I could say that I don't care what people think about me, but that would be a lie.
I want to write this to my girls,
I'm not perfect I'm learning and growing, and sometimes that means failing...that being said...what I did by dishonoring my commitment to God was wrong. There's no way around it...I broke a commitment. Because of that I know that there are consequences. I know that and will accept them. One of the consequences have been letting people down. I'm a people pleaser and so whenever I let someone down it kills me! I'd prefer for people to be mad instead of disappointed.
Please don't think that I just made a decision based off of emotion without considering the commitment I made to stay single. Now you may think "wow how could you knowingly make a decision to break a commitment with God and then how could you be okay with it." Well...I began breaking the commitment without knowing it and then when I became aware I had two choices, one to stop lying and call the relationship what it was, or continue lying. I decided to fess up. And I wasn't okay with it at first, I would've loved to continue lying to myself and I considered it several times. But I didn't. I decided that although coming clean meant subjecting myself to the possible scrutiny of others it was the right thing to do. I had a long talk with God and was very ashamed to come to him. I was so mad at myself for not honoring a commitment and even more ashamed to have to tell people about it.
The truth is, my actions were called out by God and because of that I had to deal with it before him first. But I am aware that people are also affected. If I have made anyone stumble I'm truly sorry. Know that walking with God is a learning process...and when you fail God's not the only one who sees it...which I guess is good cause it means the body of christ can hold you accountable :)
Everything we learn now is meant to teach us later in life. I know that God is continuing to teach me...sadly I'll continue failing but hopefully through my failures God teaches me who he is and who I am in him. The battle will never be over until we are in his presence....which could be considered depressing but when you think about it, it means that your always being given a second and third and fourth chance. Gods grace and mercy is INCREDIBLE and yet when we choose to walk with him, he gives it to us in abundance!
I made a commitment to God to stay single for this past semester...a commitment which I did not hold to. Instead of trusting in God and relying on his strength, I decided to trust in what I could see and what was in front of me. Choosing to do this left me with several consequences. First off, I had to stand before God and ask for forgiveness. After all, I made the commitment to Him and when I broke it I offended God first. However, I also let my friends down.
Working through forgiveness between God and I was hard but adding disappointment from my friends onto that made it much harder. As much as I hate it at times, people watch me and look up to me. I honestly don't know why anyone would want to look up to me at all cause I seem to do a pretty good job at messing up, but people do anyway. What I didn't know was that my commitment to trust in God and stay single was a really bold statement, and several people looked up to me and respected me for that. When I broke that, they lost some respect for me.
Now I could say that I don't care what people think about me, but that would be a lie.
I want to write this to my girls,
I'm not perfect I'm learning and growing, and sometimes that means failing...that being said...what I did by dishonoring my commitment to God was wrong. There's no way around it...I broke a commitment. Because of that I know that there are consequences. I know that and will accept them. One of the consequences have been letting people down. I'm a people pleaser and so whenever I let someone down it kills me! I'd prefer for people to be mad instead of disappointed.
Please don't think that I just made a decision based off of emotion without considering the commitment I made to stay single. Now you may think "wow how could you knowingly make a decision to break a commitment with God and then how could you be okay with it." Well...I began breaking the commitment without knowing it and then when I became aware I had two choices, one to stop lying and call the relationship what it was, or continue lying. I decided to fess up. And I wasn't okay with it at first, I would've loved to continue lying to myself and I considered it several times. But I didn't. I decided that although coming clean meant subjecting myself to the possible scrutiny of others it was the right thing to do. I had a long talk with God and was very ashamed to come to him. I was so mad at myself for not honoring a commitment and even more ashamed to have to tell people about it.
The truth is, my actions were called out by God and because of that I had to deal with it before him first. But I am aware that people are also affected. If I have made anyone stumble I'm truly sorry. Know that walking with God is a learning process...and when you fail God's not the only one who sees it...which I guess is good cause it means the body of christ can hold you accountable :)
Everything we learn now is meant to teach us later in life. I know that God is continuing to teach me...sadly I'll continue failing but hopefully through my failures God teaches me who he is and who I am in him. The battle will never be over until we are in his presence....which could be considered depressing but when you think about it, it means that your always being given a second and third and fourth chance. Gods grace and mercy is INCREDIBLE and yet when we choose to walk with him, he gives it to us in abundance!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Who Am I?
Who am I that you love me I turn away
seek my plan
speak against you
forget your mercy
forget your comfort
forget your love
Who am I that you intervene in my life?
I don't deserve your love yet you love me enough to reveal truth in my life.
You allow me to accept concequences
and you teach me
Who am I that even through my failures you use me
You take a broken heart, a sinful life and you use it
Who am I?
I am Yours!
You bought my life at the price of your own.
Everlasting love displayed in my father giving up his life for his rebelling daughter
I did not seek you
Yet you drew me to yourself
I did not choose you
Yet you hand-picked me to be yours
I am yours
You are mine
Worthy are you
My heart cries out
My soul thirsts for you
My body pants for your word
My heart is filled with joy
Your beauty is displayed in who you are
and in what you do
and in your word
How precious
How beautiful
How loving
How amazing
How merciful you are...
Your intricicies are displayed in the beauty of your creation
the colors and patterns of the created burst forth song
Each color speaks of who you are
every note of your plans
every sunset of your beauty
Only you are worthy
I am nothing
Yet to you I am made whole
In your eyes I am beautiful
You delight over me with singing
You hold me in your arms
You formed me
You know me
I am yours
May your will be done with my life!
seek my plan
speak against you
forget your mercy
forget your comfort
forget your love
Who am I that you intervene in my life?
I don't deserve your love yet you love me enough to reveal truth in my life.
You allow me to accept concequences
and you teach me
Who am I that even through my failures you use me
You take a broken heart, a sinful life and you use it
Who am I?
I am Yours!
You bought my life at the price of your own.
Everlasting love displayed in my father giving up his life for his rebelling daughter
I did not seek you
Yet you drew me to yourself
I did not choose you
Yet you hand-picked me to be yours
I am yours
You are mine
Worthy are you
My heart cries out
My soul thirsts for you
My body pants for your word
My heart is filled with joy
Your beauty is displayed in who you are
and in what you do
and in your word
How precious
How beautiful
How loving
How amazing
How merciful you are...
Your intricicies are displayed in the beauty of your creation
the colors and patterns of the created burst forth song
Each color speaks of who you are
every note of your plans
every sunset of your beauty
Only you are worthy
I am nothing
Yet to you I am made whole
In your eyes I am beautiful
You delight over me with singing
You hold me in your arms
You formed me
You know me
I am yours
May your will be done with my life!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
I Dare You...
One month ago, God challanged me with a dare. He said, "Catie I dare you to find out what it looks like to be completly focused on who I am." And I took it.
As soon as he challanged me with that dare, he followed up by asking me to fast from secular music and tv. I found that those things consumed my time and pulled my focus away from who he was. As I began to dive head first into what it looked like to be consumed by him, he began opening my eyes to his glory, his beauty and his divine nature. Through the process I realized I had sought identity in things other then him. He began to fix my face upon his, and show me what it was like to be found in him. Things I had struggled with in the past, and continue to struggle with he has helped me to overcome. He has unraveled the lies and deceptive words the devil told me over the past several months, and he helped me forgive myself.
Part of being consumed by God means having your identy in him and being like him. Loving him in all circumstances, rejoicing in persecution, and growing inspite of your own sinfulness. When we are consumed by him, we are filled with who he is: loving, forgiving, patient, compassionate, graceful and full of joy. God began filling me with each one of those. But forgivness was one I didn't quite understand. Because I didn't understand how to forgive myself and those who had recently hurt me, I put it off. But God wanted to do something with me, and I knew that in order to be fully consumed by him, I had to fully let go of any hinderances, and obstacles in my life. So I sat down with God, and we began the process of self-forgivness.
It took me a while to understand what forgiveness was. I found an awesome definition of it..."forgivness is not expecting payment for wrongs." I had wronged so many people in my life recenly, and being the "you must get punished for every bad thing you do" kind of person I am, I didn't understand how I could just move on from what had happened. I messed up, I needed to fix it.
But then God reminded me of his truth. He said, "you messed up, but I have the power to fix it." I have tried in the past to fix things, but in the end it only looks like a small bandaid over and gaping wound. Only God knows how to redeem (not fix) lifes circumstances.
I remember when I got it. When I realized I had to forgive myself and that I could forgive myself. God gave me the words to say, and I had to say them out loud in order for them to sink in. I said, "Its okay, what I did was wrong, but God forgives me and he is redeeming me." The more I began to say it, the more I began to believe the words. And now I fully believe them. Now I never want to repeat the misakes, but I know that the mistakes I've made are going to be redeemed by God, cause he is that awesome!
So I dare you....I dare you for a week, two weeks, or a month, to see what your life would look like to be completly consumed by who God is. Its a challenge I'm not going to lie...it takes perserverance, but the most beautiful thing about it is that God is with you every step of the way, holding you, guiding you and speaking truth and wisdom into your life.
I took the challage and God did increcible things in my life. I dare you to see what he will do in yours!
"Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high priviledge of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant. I've dumped it all into the trash so that I could embrace Christ." - Philipians 3:8 (The Message)
~Catie
As soon as he challanged me with that dare, he followed up by asking me to fast from secular music and tv. I found that those things consumed my time and pulled my focus away from who he was. As I began to dive head first into what it looked like to be consumed by him, he began opening my eyes to his glory, his beauty and his divine nature. Through the process I realized I had sought identity in things other then him. He began to fix my face upon his, and show me what it was like to be found in him. Things I had struggled with in the past, and continue to struggle with he has helped me to overcome. He has unraveled the lies and deceptive words the devil told me over the past several months, and he helped me forgive myself.
Part of being consumed by God means having your identy in him and being like him. Loving him in all circumstances, rejoicing in persecution, and growing inspite of your own sinfulness. When we are consumed by him, we are filled with who he is: loving, forgiving, patient, compassionate, graceful and full of joy. God began filling me with each one of those. But forgivness was one I didn't quite understand. Because I didn't understand how to forgive myself and those who had recently hurt me, I put it off. But God wanted to do something with me, and I knew that in order to be fully consumed by him, I had to fully let go of any hinderances, and obstacles in my life. So I sat down with God, and we began the process of self-forgivness.
It took me a while to understand what forgiveness was. I found an awesome definition of it..."forgivness is not expecting payment for wrongs." I had wronged so many people in my life recenly, and being the "you must get punished for every bad thing you do" kind of person I am, I didn't understand how I could just move on from what had happened. I messed up, I needed to fix it.
But then God reminded me of his truth. He said, "you messed up, but I have the power to fix it." I have tried in the past to fix things, but in the end it only looks like a small bandaid over and gaping wound. Only God knows how to redeem (not fix) lifes circumstances.
I remember when I got it. When I realized I had to forgive myself and that I could forgive myself. God gave me the words to say, and I had to say them out loud in order for them to sink in. I said, "Its okay, what I did was wrong, but God forgives me and he is redeeming me." The more I began to say it, the more I began to believe the words. And now I fully believe them. Now I never want to repeat the misakes, but I know that the mistakes I've made are going to be redeemed by God, cause he is that awesome!
So I dare you....I dare you for a week, two weeks, or a month, to see what your life would look like to be completly consumed by who God is. Its a challenge I'm not going to lie...it takes perserverance, but the most beautiful thing about it is that God is with you every step of the way, holding you, guiding you and speaking truth and wisdom into your life.
I took the challage and God did increcible things in my life. I dare you to see what he will do in yours!
"Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high priviledge of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant. I've dumped it all into the trash so that I could embrace Christ." - Philipians 3:8 (The Message)
~Catie
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