Walk On

There's definitely something going on here lately. Some sort of revival. More people living out loud about their faith!!! More and more people coming to know Christ and becoming a part of Christian churches everywhere. It's amazing to see it all over social media and also in social circles. People that you would have never thought would put their faith in anything other then the world are putting their faith in God and their lives are changing and becoming so enriched with love, life, success, relationships and the list goes on! 

I wish this blog post stopped here but unfortunately there's a "BUT"... a big one. As much as people are living their faith out loud, there are many others just as loud, giving their negative opinions about those who are turning to the Lord and changing their ways. I see grown men and women being bully's on the Facebook playground, shaming believers and mocking their pasts. Some even going as low as to use horrific names and disgusting details to describe a woman and her body parts to try and keep her in a place she used to live. Does this remind you of anything? How about when Jesus told the crowd to put down their stones because of the adulterous woman? Or when people who went from loving Jesus to hating him and were screaming "crucify him" in his last days? 

Sadly, and I mean reeeeeeallly sadly, those people who are mocking you don't understand the message of Amazing Grace, or The Prodigal Son. They don't grasp the concept of The Crucifixion, nor what God did for them so that they can enjoy a new and awesome life in him! They don't understand that what they have done in their past is wiped clean and a new slate lies before them if they just decide to give their life to something bigger then themselves- Jesus. I hurt for those people. Truly and deeply. They are clinging ever so tightly to their old ways that you changing actually fuels hate in them. Jesus explains where these people are on their journey in John 3:19:  "God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed." They don't want to shed light on their issues. They are far more comfortable in their sin. Their hate then pours over into gossip and Facebook posts. But my question for you is, who's shoes would you rather be in today? Yours or theirs? 

Please, I urge and encourage you to keep your faith alive, loud and proud! Praise God for what he's done for you even when there are people throwing stones at you. Do not allow anyone to say anything to put you back in a place you no longer live. In 2Corinthians 5:17, it says "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, a new life has begun." Whenever I have heard someone questioning my faith or mocking my beliefs, I remind myself of this verse. You are new! You are white as snow. Pure. Remember what God says about you, not mere man. 

I read a meme on Instagram the other day that said it all, "Some people will not let you get past your past, but you have to get past those people." And now I encourage you.....Walk on. 

A Place of Trust

As previous blog posts have gone, I talk a lot about current situations in my life and this one is no different. But this time it's coming from a totally different place. If you've followed me the last 6 months or so, you know I've had all kinds of different situations. When I first started writing this, I wasn't dating at all. I put myself on a dating freeze and decided to just date Jesus. I wanted to become the person he wanted me to be in him alone. I wanted to put all my efforts in discovering God and myself. 13 years of dating and some crazy relationships brought me to that place. Was it hard at times and lonely? Of course! But it was nothing short of absolutely amazing. I fell completely in love with Jesus and myself. It was worth more then anything I've ever done for myself. And I encourage anyone in the same situation to do the same. You will NOT regret it. 

Let's move forward, so after over a year of being single, I decided to go on a date. I followed the holy spirits guidance thoroughly. The person was a great man and a Christian man, but God had given me a very distinct feeling in my soul that something wasn't right. Because he was a Godly man, I questioned it at first but the undying feeling the spirit gave, I just couldn't shake it. It was hard to let this one go but something told me it was the best thing for the both of us and painfully said goodbye. Then after about a month or two another Christian man started to pursue me and I accepted a date. Not only did God show me that he wasn't a spiritual leader but he also showed me how far I've come in recognizing what is right for me and what is wrong for me in God's eyes. This one was much easier to let pass me by. In this situation I knew I'd be drawn closer to sin and not closer to God. Not that he was a bad man, he just wasn't walking the same path I was.  

Which now brings me to the present. I recently have been pursued in the way God has intended a man to pursue a woman and that is in the pursuit of marriage. I'm being pursued honorably, respectfully and confidently with God as the focus for us both. And for that reason alone, I continue to move forward daily in this relationship. The Holy Spirit continues to give me little winks in the verses I read, in the things this man does and the prayer life we have together already. Am I excited? Absolutely! But as all stories go, I hit a bump in the road.

As I have learned, the devil wants nothing more then to not allow a godly couple to come together. I found myself one day being attacked by the devil, using the scars of my past relationships. I began to think thoughts about who others were in my past and questioned if this man would do the same. I started to lose faith in something that was 100% from God all because I allowed Satan to take hold of my thoughts! He wanted to keep me in the past and stop me from moving forward. It was nothing this man said or did. If anything he was beyond loving and affectionate at every moment he could be. It was my thoughts alone that created a separation for a couple days in my mind. So I spoke to my mentor first and she told me to talk to him about it. I had a deep 4 hour conversation with him telling him my fears. As a spiritual leader should, he pointed me towards God. Telling me to put my trust with the Lord because he guides this ship. He sent me a verse about trust before bed that night and prayed for me. That was a great example in my life of how a man is to lead me to God through a relationship. It was an example of someone bringing me closer to what God wants for me, which is trust in Him alone! 

John 14:27 says "I leave you peace, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives to you. Do not let your hearts be trouble and do not be afraid!" This verse lays on my heart heavily as I write this. Once you give God everything he will give you a supernatural peace in all areas of your life. God wants you to trust him and not look at your past circumstances. He wants to guide your new circumstances. Once we have trust, we have gladness. And that is where I am today. 

Psalm33:21- "In him our hearts rejoice because we TRUST in his holy name."