Embrace the Singleness

Well, it's been a long while since I posted... So hello again!

I thought I would just talk about my dating fast I had and what I have learned from it...

I decided to go a year without dating for personal reasons. The fast started October 31, 2013 and ended November 1, 2014. I turned down a few guys throughout that time period. It felt good for two reasons. First, I had guys ask me out! Woohoo! How awesome does that make a girl feel? Pretty dang awesome! Second, I was able to say "no" to a guy because of the fast. It is actually really nice to be able to tell a guy that you can't date and don't want to.

Throughout that year, I learned that guys and girls can actually be friends and not have the potential to get together. I made a number of really good guy friends throughout that period. I mean, the opposite sex can be whole lot of fun when it's just a friendship going on.

I also learned that some guys just don't know when to quit. I told some guys I couldn't date them and some that I just want to be friends. Some of these guys have not quit trying to hit on me (thinking that I don't notice that's what they are doing...) and I found that I do not like that. It's interesting because I used to really enjoy any and every guy trying to "get at this" but have found that it is actually now very unattractive for a guy to do it in that manner.

Most importantly, I figured out what kind of guy I really want to be with. I focused on all my Christian guy friends and what qualities I appreciated in them. I tried not to be extreme about it and make my future man the perfect man. I made a list of the type of guy I actually want to spend the rest of my life with.

I personally think that girls should totally do this also. Make a list of the type of guy God would want you to be with. Not only make the list, but focus on these qualities in different guys that might be a potential man for you. If they don't go with most the qualities, then don't waste your time. If they go with most of them, then don't push them aside because some of the qualities might not be important.

One last thing I learned throughout the fast is that the single life is a great life. For real! Being single is amazing! You are your own person and can focus on yourself for a time period. You also don't have to depend on anyone else. It's also a time of freedom. You can go wherever you want and be with the friends you want to be with. It is a great experience if you aren't focusing on a guy, but on God and yourself. So, for the single girls, embrace the singleness and enjoy it. It only lasts for so long.

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

Celebrate the Greatest Weekend Ever

This weekend we celebrated one of the greatest weekends from all time history. Starting from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Let's talk about each day for a second...

On Friday... We celebrate an amazing day... The day that Jesus Christ went and died on the cross for the sins of the world when he was completely innocent. Why is it such a great day? Well, because it opened up a way to God for anyone and everyone that chooses to accept Him. When Jesus said, "It is finished" he meant it. No longer do we have to worry about cleansing our sins ourselves! It was done that day when His blood was running down the cross, when God turned His back on His own Son, and when Christ breathed His last breath. So, celebrate Friday because we have life through the innocent One that gave it to us, the guilty ones.

On Saturday... We celebrate the fact that Jesus was dead for us. His body lay in the grave while His soul was in hell. He suffered that much for us. And yet we still live for ourselves instead of Him. I mean, if Christ can go to hell because He was taking up all our sins for us and God turned His back on Him, then how can we not see that we ourselves can get to hell a lot easier? Christ made a way to heaven for us! We just gotta accept it. It's that easy.

On Sunday... We celebrate the greatest day in history! Why? I mean, what about Christmas? Jesus was born that day! Well, yeah, but Jesus defeated death on Easter! How cool is that?! I mean, think about it... Jesus died. Was dead for three days. Then He rose again. What?! If He can do that, what's to stop Him from keeping us from death? Not our physical body, but our soul. And not death as in no longer existing (because everyone lives forever), but as in living like a life that is amazing in heaven instead of rotting in hell! Well, thank God that He did just that! For everyone who comes to Him, believes in Him, and confesses his or her sins at the foot of the cross. Just like the criminal that hung beside Him. Even he made it to heaven! What an amazing day to celebrate and what a great gift!

So, celebrate the greatest weekend to have ever happened in history!

Happy Easter everyone! Much love!

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

Who Gave You the Right to Judge Me?

You've always heard it said "Don't judge" or "Only God can judge a person." Well, I am here to tell you that this is wrong.

If you Google in the word "judge" and look at the verb form you get the definition:

"form an opinion or conclusion about."

When you read this definition do you think that it is wrong to judge someone? I don't. I mean, it's an opinion or it's something you have found to be true about someone. So, why do people say that it is wrong to judge another person?

Well, let's go through it. I will give my personal opinions of why I think people say this...

1. People don't want others to point out what they are doing wrong
2. People feel that if they want to do whatever they want, someone shouldn't point it out to them
3. People use the word "judge" to mean condemn

So, let's go through each thing one at a time:

1. When you do something wrong, how do you feel when someone points it out to you? Honestly, I hate it! It makes me feel like a horrible person sometimes and like I have messed up. If everyone was honest about it, most people would say the same thing. Fun fact... You HAVE messed up. Sometimes, you just need someone to point it out to you. And when it is pointed out to you, do you know what you should do? Take it. If you have done something against God's morals and law, you need to be able to deal with the consequences and being pointed out. It's what happens.

*side note: The above is when you have done something wrong, not when you are accused of something you didn't do

2. There is a time where everyone gets into their independence stages. You want to be able to do what you want, when you want, the way you want and you don't want people to get involved. You feel that it's your life, so you don't want someone else to control it. You think that it's okay for you because you are your own person and should decide if something is right or wrong. The problem with this is that everyone needs someone else with them that can speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) because we don't always actually see when we are doing something that is harmful or wrong for us or towards someone else. We need good, close friends to help point out the faults in us.

3. What does the word condemn mean? Well, let's look at the Google version of the definition:

"express complete disapproval of, typically in public; censure." 

"sentence (someone) to a particular punishment, esp. death."

Ok. So, there is definitely differences between the words "judge" and "condemn." So, this is actually what a person should mean when they say "don't judge me." And a lot of people actually do mean this. They interchange the two words with each other when they should not ever do it.

Now let's look at a verse that most people use when they say "don't judge" to make their argument even better:

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from you brother's eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Let's look at this verse by verse:

1. This is a warning. It's not a "You cannot judge" command. It's a "If you are going to judge, then be prepared to be judged also."

2. If you choose to judge someone, think before you do. If you are judging someone for a sin and you are in the same sin, then you will be judged the way you are judging. You will get the same "punishment" as you give another for the same sin being judged.

3. You need to pay attention to your own sins before trying to fix another person's sins. Don't just try to fix something when you don't even know how to because you haven't fixed the sin in your life. You wont be able to see what you are doing (metaphorically speaking).

4. Don't tell someone about a sin in their life until you have gotten control of your own.

5.  Don't be a hypocrite. If you tell someone not to do something and say that it is wrong, then you should not do it yourself. Now, to clear things up more, let's look at the definition of hypocrite from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

"a person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs" 

So, if we can judge someone, then what can't we do that we say only God can do? Well, that, my friend, is condemn. We don't have the power or say in who goes to hell or heaven. That is what happens when someone has the right to condemn. The only One that can do the condemning is God.

In conclusion, the next time someone tells you that it aint your place to judge, just know what they actually mean by that. It's not that we, as Christians, shouldn't judge people... It's that we, as Christians, shouldn't judge someone for something AND condemn them, for that is God's job. Judge with love and wisdom without condemning for we have no right to condemn. See the difference?

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

 

Dating Sabbatical

Not a huge video, but just to tell you about something I have decided to do for a few months.

I Don't Need No Man to Make Me Happy Right Now

"I don't wanna be like Cinderella
Sittin' in a dark, cold, dusty cellar
Waitin' for somebody to come and set me free
I don't wanna be like someone waiting
For a handsome prince to come and save me
Oh, I will survive
Unless somebody's on my side"

These are the lyrics to a song by Cheetah Girls called Cinderella. I have personally always enjoyed the song because of the beat and how fun it was to me.

But, for real, the lyrics right here should be thought about and looked at more. Disney has shown girls to need a prince to make them happy. Really? A guy for the girl is gonna make life great and fantastical? Oh! And not just that, but it will be the first guy you say you love! Makes it easy on us girls, right?

Heck no! Now, let's look at the chorus to the song again. Reality, you are going to have to wait on that prince of yours. Your prince isn't just gonna come walking through your door at this very moment. It takes time for him to arrive and for you to know that he is the one. So, why just sit around waiting? You could be doing something pretty awesome with your life while you wait. And if you are doing something awesome, by the time your man comes along, he will see how great you are because you aren't sitting on you lazy butt waiting for him. You will survive without him at the moment!

Now, I know how much girls want a guy to come already and sweep them off their feet. I am one of those girls! But I have learned that patience and living your life not worrying about him is so much better. I mean, God knows the perfect timing for the two of us to come together. Why worry about it?

Girls! Just think about it. Maybe the reason that you haven't met "the one" might just mean that God is still growing him into the perfect man for you. And He might even be working on you so that your prince can have a great woman of God. That, my friend, is not a process you want to rush.

In the meantime, read your Bible. If you stay in the Word you can grow in wisdom on how to handle your singleness for the time being. Talk to God. He is there to comfort you if you ever feel sad and heart broken because you just want to be loved by a guy that will take care of you all your life. I mean, God is already doing that already, so why not get used to how a guy really should treat a girl. Don't settle. It's stupid and makes you look thirsty. Don't be thirsty. It's not a very pretty look on a girl. Write a letter to your future husband on how you feel and how you can't wait for him and save it for your wedding day. I personally have done that and am waiting for the day I can give my man the letter I wrote for him before I even knew him. Pray for your future husband. Praying for him helps you focus on the fact that there is someone out there for you and not focusing a lot on other guys that can distract you from him. Read Song of Songs and see what a true relationship should look like and how beautiful it is. And don't miss the verses talking about waiting (usually people say it's talking about sex, but relationships are hard to wait for also). Lastly, embrace your singleness. I mean, it's actually a really fun stage! You can focus on your friends, yourself, and God. And you don't have to deal with being in a relationship with a guy, because, let's face it, guys can be so complicated!

That's all I got for y'all tonight :)

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

Do You Think of Me?

Hey guys! Decided I would do a video tonight. I wanted to tell you guys my adoption story and let you hear a poem I wrote.

Apologies for the sound.

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

Separation of Church and State or Nation Built on Christian Foundation?

Separation of church and state. Sounds legit, right? The church does it's own thing without having the state involved and the state can do what ever the heck it wants without the church getting involved. I mean, that's what the founding fathers wanted from the beginning, right?

Wrong!

The founding fathers founded this nation on Christian foundations. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were suppose to be involved in everything. This was supposed to be a Christian nation, yet people have misinterpreted the 1st Amendment.

In "Five Lies of the Century" David T. Moore talks about this certain lie in the first few chapters in the book. He gives quotes of different founding fathers (including the ones said to be Deists) stating how God is to be apart of this nation and how The Word would be a foundation for the nation.

This nation has been slowly dying because of the lies that people have said about this nation. We need to bring this nation back to life and back to Christ before we are destroyed.

We ARE supposed to be a Christian nation! Our founding fathers WERE believers of God and His Word (Old and New Testaments)! Our nation WAS a GREAT nation when we were on a Christian foundation and now we are in debt, have higher divorce rates than any other country, are the biggest drug sellers, and so much more!

We need to get back to the original purpose of this nation if things are going to get better.

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13

Best Seller

How often do you read your Bible? Honestly. And when you read it, do you read it just to check it off your list or do you read it to learn from it?

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to read the Bible every day. I put it on my list because I, as a Christian, should know what the Holy Book says. It's my roadmap to life and my faith. It's the history of my faith. It's the book that God Himself gave to His people. I feel as if I should be in the Word each day so I know what I am involved in with my Christian faith.

I never did actually get into reading the Bible too much growing up though. I would start reading it and then take a break because I found it boring. And a lot of people find the Bible to be boring. Isn't that funny though? I mean, the book given to us by God is found boring? Hmmmm. Sounds a little off to me.

So, this year I decided I would read through the whole Bible (doing the Bible in 90 days reading) and read it like any other book. And I have found it to be a very interesting book (even though I have read many of the stories hundreds of times). What's different though than what I have been doing?

Well, I am putting myself into the shoes of each character. I mean, if I were to live each of their lives, I would not have a boring life. I would have experienced a serpent talk to me, God punishing me, my husband blaming me for his sin, my brother killing me over jealousy (or me killing my brother), me talking to angels about how I will have a son, me protecting angels from getting raped by neighbors, me running away from a town about to be destroyed by God, my wife being turned into stone, me being ruler over my brothers after selling me into slavery, me working for Pharaoh for years, me witnessing plagues upon plagues, me walking across the Red Sea with the water separated on either side of me like walls, and so much more! How can that not be amazing?!

I encourage you to get into the Word every day and learn from it each day. Live the life of the people in your mind as you read the stories. It's magnificent!

If it is hard for you to read the Bible, then figure out a different mind set for when reading God's Word. Find some friends that would read it and have fun with it. Do something to make it more interesting for you because the Bible is far from boring.

God bless!!
Philippians 4:13