Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

one of my favorite songs; by far one of the best I can think of to fit this post. Listen while you read.


First off--Happy 2 month birthday to my blog! Over 960 views in 2 months! Many thanks to those who read it. 


Back on track--Do you just ever feel like you don't know, and you don't know what you don't know? That place where you don't know which way is up, which way is down, which way to take a step, whether to run, or to walk, or to just completely stop. It is probably the most confusing, and most awful place I feel like I have ever been. It is such a struggle. I don't know where to go, what to do, what to say.. There are so many things going on in my life right now (both good and bad). It's a battle. Spiritual battles. I am jumping hurtles everyday, and I am getting to the point where I am stumbling and barely making it over them.

Ephesians 6:10-20

New International Version (NIV)

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Ephesians 6:10-20 tells us that we are to stand firm, put on the armor of God and stay strong. We will never stop fighting these battles and trying to catch everything the Devil is pitching at us. The devil sends things our way to throw us off our paths, to make us turn and run, to hurt us and those around us, to tear us apart and make us lose focus of what we are doing. This passage and this song by Chris August tells us that the world tries to battle for our hearts and our attention and our focus but the war has already been won. God will fight every battle with us and for us if we let him. We have to stay focused and no matter what is thrown at us we have to stand our ground. We have to pray, and never stop praying.


It's not easy and I know it. I will speak from experience. When you have a situation going on and you are trying to stay focused and not get distracted things come along and that spark of a distraction turns into a wild fire. People talk, people lie, people gossip, people are deceitful. The devil will use whatever and whoever he can to create a battle and tear us down and keep us from focusing on God and what He has planned out for us. I struggle a lot with these things. I know what is going on around me and I still let it swallow me whole. I drown in the floods the devil sends my way. It's not because I want to, trust me. Things aren't easy and I wish it was. I have to be, we have to be, prayer warriors and let God lead us and help us fight this battle we are with us and for us. We can't do things on our own no matter what we think. That is something I am realizing here lately.


I can't do this on my own. 


I know what God has called me to do, and I know where he is leading me. Sometimes He just wants us to realize that we need to fully rely on Him in all we do and every step we take. 


Pain, confusion, sadness, struggles, happiness, all of it is a chance for growth.


Are you willing to stand up and stand your ground? Let God guide you and lead you? Trust He will take care of us in all situations?

Not knowing what I don't know is hard. Feeling lost is even worse. If I knew though, what would be the point of learning trust, learning to talk to God, and letting him be in control. 




Trust. Obey. Let go & Let God. Pray.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, a time for everyactivity under heaven.

Happy Monday, loves!

I want to talk more about something I have learned, not from the classroom though. (we all know that I play on this cool iPhone during class.) But seriously, I have learned a lot about patience and waiting this past month. I'm going to upload a picture I took today and it will probably post on the bottom but it's just an added visual. I thought of the yield sign because you aren't completely stopped, you're just waiting. You're waiting for your safety. If you run that yield sign you could be in danger. If you aren't patient you are only causing yourself and others danger.
Think about it.
The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.

Whether it be a job, a relationship, a ministry, or whatever it may be, if God doesn't think you're ready for it He won't give it to you. Plus God cares about us and knows what's best. What you think you may want now may not be truly best for you. Only He truly knows. The Bible tells us a number of times to wait for His perfect timing an that in His time He makes all things beautiful (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Do you trust God knows what's best? I have learned that it is better to let Him take control and let Him bring things into my life when He knows in ready. Just because I may think I want something, doesn't mean it is what's best. I have been fighting being patient and trying to figure out why things haven't gone my way. I am slowly starting to see what God has in store for me in my time of yielding to Him. Let me just tell you, it is TOTALLY WORTH IT.

What are you waiting for today? Are you going to yielding for God's perfect planning and timing?

1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of speaking God’s Word and if I understand all secrets, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I know all things and if I have the gift of faith so I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Hey Again blog readers!


This is a first! Two posts in a week is a big deal, but two posts in one day?! Whatttt
I don't normally do this.
Actually I have never done this before.
Playing never have I ever here for a quick second; never have I ever written two blogs in one day... until now.


It's normally a stretch to write one. I feel the urge to write and I do it. I know that I don't fuel my writings, God does; and I don't know about you but I don't tell Him no. (best of luck to you though if you want to give that a shot. Let me know how it goes though, okay?)


So this morning I wrote about doing things to please God.
Remember; Obey. Trust. Please God, Not Man.
I also talked a little about making sure your heart is in the right place in all you do.


One of my all time favorite songs, that I am basically obsessed with now and can and will listen to it over and over again (I am actually listening to it now as I write) is a whole song about 1 Corinthians 13:2. And here it is!


It even has the lyrics if you want to sit down and read along! I strongly suggest that you take time to really listen to this song. Think about what they are saying. Think about the message behind this song. I love this song but I really feel like the version with the monologue is the best one by far! This version is that version and the monologue is 2:15 in exactly. Listen carefully to this part. 


"I am bankrupt without love"

Without love we have nothing. You can have the best intentions ever, you can say the kindest things, do the nicest things but if you don't have love in your heart all of that is meaningless. 


"If I sing but don't have love
I waste my breath with every song
I bring an empty voice, a hollow noise
If I speak with a silver tongue
Convince a crowd but don't have love
I leave a bitter taste with every word I say" 

wow. how powerful is that? I mean really think about it! 1 John 4:19 Tells us that we must love because He first loved us. Romans 5:8 tells us that He first showed love to us, even as sinners. If God can love us no matter what, we can love others no matter what. We can sing any worship song, lift our hands as high as we can, but if we don't love none of that matters. We can give everything we have, but if we don't give love then it becomes meaningless. Without His love we have nothing. Without loving others we have nothing.

Listen, I know just as well as you do that love isn't easy. Like the song says, love is a sacrifice.   

I don't know about you, but I feel like it is definitely worth the sacrifice.  Without love, you are nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2 tells us that "if I don't love, I have nothing" I don't know about you, but I would rather make that sacrifice and love than have my words and actions be wasted and meaningless. 

"So no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I am bankrupt without love." 

Romans 13:8  Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Galatians 5:13  For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Ephesians 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

1 Peter 1:22  Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

1 John 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

God has told us a number of times through a number of songs, a number of verses in the Bible, and His selfless actions that love is key. 

Listen to that song. Actually listen to the words. Listen to what they are saying. 

Do I want my songs to be empty? my words to be bitter? my breath to be wasted? Definitely not. I don't want to make it to Judgement Day and have God say "Good try, but you were missing something... didn't I tell you over and over and over again to love? Did I not tell you without love that you would have nothing? That your words would be empty, that your words would be bitter, that your breath would be wasted?"

Obey. Trust. Please God & Not Man. Love.

Colossians 3:24b It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Good morning!

Okay, so today's post is going to be a little different. I got this super new cool fancy iPhone and I am actually writing my blog post on it (as I walk to biology not really paying any attention to where I'm going. Sorry y'all im on a mission.)

So during the very first few words of this look at what I found as I was walking. I'm not sure where the picture will upload but that piece of straw just perfectly in the shape of a Jesus fish. How flippin cool? Made me smile and warmed my heart. Instagram happened of course!

Okay so back to my main message.. Do you know that you don't have to please anybody? You don't have to become anything you're not. You're not going to be able to please everybody. All you have to worry about is pleasing God. Sometimes we get so caught up in the worldly things when He tells us not to conform to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2). Sometimes we spend all our time striving to please somebody or to fit in, but we a need to take a step back and find the real purpose behind what we are doing. I myself have to do that too. I found myself doing it a lot this week. I've been trying to really think about what I choose to do and why. I don't have anybody to impress. My actions don't mean anything if my heart isnt in the right place. That's what matters to God most (1 Samuel 16:7).

We don't always do things for the right reasons or to please the right people, I'm guilty of it too. We all should take some time and reconsider who we are working for, and who fuels our decisions; God or man?

Obey. Trust. Please God, Not Man.

Psalm 39:4a Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered

So the title of my blog One Life To Love...



thank you 33 Miles for this amazing jam. 




we are all given one life just one. We aren't cats (sorry to break that to you guys) we don't have nine lives (just a side note; do cats REALLY have 9 lives...?)


But seriously,
we have have one life, just one. No redo's. No take backs. No restart buttons. One.
we don't necessarily get to choose everything that happens in our lives. You get to chose what you do with it though, everything that happens that is.
we are all dealt a hand of cards, how you play it is up to you. 
once those cards are on the table, you can't take them back.


I am constantly catching myself wishing my time away;
is it 4:00 yet? is it Friday yet? is it beach time yet? is it December yet? 
I know I'm not the only one who is just waiting for times to be over. Yesterday talking to one of my good buddies who is actually overseas serving our country right now (thank you Facebook for allowing us to chat!) it really hit me, even though we aren't happy with our situation or where we are, we can complain about it, wish our time away, or actually do something with our time.
I don't know about you, but complaining about what I want to be over just seems to make things seem 10x longer...
Thinking about that waiting on the bus this morning I updated my Facebook status (like all cool kids do, some way too often)


"We may be in a place we don't want to be. We may spend our time counting down the days, waiting for it to be over. But on judgement day, do we want to tell God we did nothing with the time he gave us in between but wish it away..."


That's what it said. That's something we all need to keep in mind. Did we use our time wisely? God has given us this time for a reason. What did we do with what He has given us? What are we doing with the time He has given us? 


do we really want our answer to that question to be nothing or counted days. 


I'm not 100% sure God will be over joyed with how well you can count backwards, just sayin.


We all go through things that aren't always our favorites, but there is a reason for it.
Whatever it is, whatever that time, whatever that circumstance is, it's just preparing us for what God has in store later down the road. We have to trust and obey. We have to let go and let God. At the same time though, we can't be sitting around twittling our thumbs, counting down the days, waiting for the ones we are currenty living to be over. We can't wish our life away. We are given these days for a reason. We are given these times we aren't in love with for a reason. Without these times though we would not be able to reach the happy ending God has in store for us all.
Cheesy but everything happens for a reason & it does! 


So, what are you doing to do with the situations you don't want to be in. What are you doing to do with the days you are wishing away? I am constantly reminding myself to focus on the now and what I can do with it and focus less on what is yet to come. 


Trust. Obey. Let go and let God. Be productive. 




annndddd




Happy Fourth of July to all & a special thanks to all those American heroes who have served and are serving!!!