I had to let go of it, but I didn't know how. I didn't have the strength. I didn't have the desire. I surely didn't have the willpower. But I knew I had to. It wasn't right. I knew it wasn't God's intention for me. So why was it so hard to let go?
Because things you love are never easy to let go of. It's as if you're separating skin from bone in an excruciatingly painful process. It's a battlefield that pits Spirit against flesh. Why do you think the Bible uses the word crucify in Galatians 5:24 to describe how Christians are to deny their flesh? That thing ain't no joke! But notice how we show God we love that thing/person more than Him when we can't let go of something that wasn't ours to begin with. The Author of time and Creator of all things does not need anything from you. But, oh, how He desires your surrender. Surrender. What a word. What a word with such negative connotations. Surrender means you're weak. Surrender means you're not ABLE enough to hold on. Surrender, if characterized, has this ugly persona. But, wait -- you're right. We AREN'T strong enough to handle things ourselves.... But that's because we weren't designed to do so. Jesus tells us, "come to me all who are weary, and I will give you rest." He says to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. Do you not think he meant that job, that man/woman, that health issue? You thought he just meant the "little things" in life? No way! We have these weak moments where we come to the ends of ourselves and have to tap into His strength for us to overcome. Surrender exhibits how strong we are. Surrender shows God the depth to which you trust Him to be true to His promises. The more we surrender, the more we show off our God-trusting muscle. We're literally flexing for Jesus when we surrender things to Him. Surrender is deep. Like deep deep. So let's break it down. 1. Why can't I let go? 2. Why should I? 3. What happens after I do? Why can't I let go? We tell ourselves that we can't a lot. I can't do this. I can't do that... That's why Jesus explicitly tells us we can do ALL things through Christ Who strengthens us. But I feel you. It's hard - scratch that - it feels impossible for us to even fathom letting go of some things. It makes us reevaluate who we are, what we believe and what we prioritize. If it's not challenging, it probably wasn't from God. Those things that challenge you are of Him. Surrender is not easy. Why should I? But if you find yourself in the position that you can't let go of something God is telling you to let go of (don't play - you KNOW when God is telling you to let something go), you show God you love that person/thing more than you love Him. You show Him your faith and trust in that person/thing is greater than your faith and trust in Him. And when we look at it from that perspective, what were we thinking? Ephesians 3:20 says now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine. Do we really think God don't got it? But let's be real - sometimes that thing is what we thought God had for us. We thought that thing was in alignment with God's plans. We thought that thing had God's blessing on it because of the fruit it had exhibited in the past. But when the situation changes, we can't rely on what was, we have to look at what is. We have to redirect our focus to God and, with a sober mind, see what is in plain sight before us. Rick Warren says, "But we won't surrender to God unless we trust him. We can't trust him until we know Him better. Fear keeps us from surrendering, but love casts out all fear. The more you realize how much God loves you, the easier surrender becomes." What happens after I do? If we break down the essence of what surrender is, it (to me) boils down to two things: rest and peace. Think about it - when you give someone else a bill to pay, you don't have to worry about it anymore. You can REST in the truth that it has been resolved, so you have PEACE about the situation. Same with surrendering all of the other stuff. If I surrender this job or this relationship to God, I can REST in the truth that He will take care of it for me, so I have PEACE about the outcome of my circumstances. And if we're being real, Jesus has already paid the ULTIMATE price for us. Not only does His blood wash over our sins and redeem us, it covers our problems in unfathomable Grace. That's a promise on surrender - Grace. When we surrender, we also open ourselves up to the opportunity to be used. Romans 6:13 says we were predestined for good works in advance. If we were predestined to be used by God yet we can't let go of the reigns and surrender to Him, we'll never pursue the purpose and assignment on our lives. Surrender means you yield to purpose and assignment. Freedom is another repercussion of surrender. When we let go and let God, we are no longer holding ourselves responsible for the outcome. We are free to let God do as He plans with the faith that it will always be for our good. Since going through a particularly difficult surrender, God has also been reiterating the importance of being still. Particularly, being still and KNOWING He is God. Because when we KNOW He is God, we are reminded of His character and His promises. Promises to never leave us nor forsake us. Promises to work all things together for our good. Lastly, I found soberness is in surrender. After being so incredibly emotional about what was going on, when I finally let go, I was able to think clearly. I was able to see things without hindrance. When we are intoxicated by our emotions, we can't function properly. We can't surrender because we don't remember Who He is and what He has promised us. But after we surrender - LAWD, that is some peace right there! Let's be reminded that, "there is a moment of surrender, and there is the practice of surrender." Let's live a life that is not merely full of times during which we surrender things to God, but is instead a life that in each moment is characterized by surrender. Be strong, friends! Love you! Songs about surrender: Letting Go - Steffany Gretzinger Withholding Nothing - William McDowell Just Want You - Travis Greene feat. Chandler Moore -L
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Shook. That feeling that isn't even stress or anxiety but instead just straight up fear. We want to write it off as nervousness. We want to cover it with a blanket of indecisiveness. But let's be honest with ourselves - we get straight up fearful sometimes.
I don't know if any of y'all have ever been to Scarowinds (the "scary" version of Carowinds that pops up in the fall), but the rule of the park is that the creatures and demons and phantoms that chase you around and scare you can't touch you. Let me say that again. Those things that scare you and elicit fear in your heart and keep you from moving forward CAN NOT TOUCH YOU. Let's talk about this great guy named David. You've heard of him; he's the guy who killed the giant with a rock and a slingshot. He was also a man after God's own heart. In Psalm 16:8, he praises God because he knows that if he keeps his eyes on God, he will not be shaken. Back to Scarowinds. Do you realize that in order to be shaken, you have to be touched? You have to be physically grasped in order for something to shake you. So if you know, like David, that you can't be touched by those things that you're fearful of, that means you can't be SHAKEN. Why are we afraid of the devil's illusions of fear if we CAN NOT BE TOUCHED AND THEREFORE SHAKEN? I want you to take a pause and go listen to "We Will Not Be Shaken" by Bethel Music. Shoutout to them for creating a song just for this blog post I APPRECIATE Y'ALL. Okay, listened? Let's keep it moving. Back to our guy David. In 2 Samuel 22:7-39, we see David was never touched nor shaken. God legit got SO MAD that someone was trying to mess with His David that He came down out of Heaven riding a cherubim and threw lightning bolts at the enemy to make them back off. The earth SHOOK because God wanted to make sure David's enemies knew He wasn't playing. But we see WHY David was never touched in those verses. David was never touched because he had the eyes of the Lord on him. He was never shaken because God dealt with him "according to his righteousness." A hugeeee problem in Christianity is that so often, we only call on God when we get in our times of trouble. We only call on Him when we've reached our wits end, and He is the ONLY One who can save us at that point. First off - praise the LORD for a God who loves us unconditionally and will save us regardless of the mess we put ourselves in! But, y'all... why do we always put ourselves in that mess for Him to save us? Why must we sin in the first place to get ourselves in that vulnerable position? Let me say that I know not every mess we get into is OUR fault. Life happens. Circumstances are uncontrollable. God will ALWAYS be near His children and will ALWAYS save us. But the reason that David was so trusting in God, the reason David DID NOT FEAR was because He knew his sins weren't the reason he was in that trouble THEREFORE God would have to save him from his enemies BECAUSE God is faithful to those who are obedient to Him. Whew. Failing to repent leads to death (Luke 13:3&5). If you've ever wondered why Jesus referred to people who were physically dead in the Bible (aka Lazarus) as SLEEPING, it's because He knew they weren't dead in the spiritual realm. In the Bible, only those who are dead in the spiritual realm are referred to as dead. Everyone else who dies a physical death is merely sleeping; their souls live on ETERNALLY in Heaven! Back in the day - and when I say back in the day, I mean waaay back to the Israelites doing their thing in the desert - God's people would ALWAYS get themselves into a mess because they decided to worship Baal and other fake and gold idols. You may say, "LOL that's so dumb. I would never worship a piece of gold," but I hate to break it to you - you worship something. We worship money. We worship success. We worship power. We worship relationships. We worship attention. We worship material items. Sucks, right? But in Acts 17:29-30, Peter tells us "Yo, God is tired of y'all worshipping the fake stuff." Well he basically said that. What he actually says is, "Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” Now that we have Jesus, we have NO excuse to be worshipping the fake stuff. He is the RISEN KING! He OVERCAME DEATH on the cross for OUR RAGGEDY SINS. When we call on the name of JESUS, EVERY enemy must flee! We must repent from our sins in order to be obedient. We must be obedient in order to have God's eyes ever on us. We must have God's eyes ever on us if we are to live without FEAR. You may say, "But, Lauren, what exactly am I repenting from? And what does repent even mean?" In reverse order, repent means to turn the other way. Like you're walking north in sin and then you're walking south in repentance. Not east or west because that's also kinda in that direction. I was thinking the other day because I think a lot (as Pastor Travis says), and I realized that people can only repent from things that convict them. The more you read God's word and the more time you spend in His presence, the more things you will be convicted of. And once you are convicted of something, you will be judged on that thing if you continue to do it. You know how they say "knowledge is power?" Well let me tell you that conviction requires correction. If something convicts your heart, God is going to ask you about it when you stand before Him if you continue to do it. And you don't wanna be in that position 🙃 Let's recap here: You cannot be shaken because you cannot be touched. God will fight for HIS children. God is faithful to the faithful. God is a rewarder of righteousness. Please be assured in the truth that God loves you and will never leave you nor forsake you. He will hold you by His righteous right hand. He will NEVER let His child be shaken by the hand of the enemy. Rest in your salvation and know He's already got it worked out - it's just up to you to trust Him. I love y'all!!! -L So you said yes to God?
Got your devotional down pat. You stopped smacking cheeks and have been celibate for a quite some time now. You paying your tithes, going to church and showing up to work consistently with an attitude…. of Christ. You even let your coworkers' slick comments go and replace your cuss words with a little prayer and 10-second count down. You swapped in your trap music for Kirk, and you're even practicing what you tweet. You feel like you’re doing your part. In there like swimwear! Doing the Heisman on these…and ALL. But let’s be real…in the midst of it all, do you ever have the moments of, “God, ok, where you are you? I’m doing my part…” Those moments where you feel like your life is on pause. You still feel like your old self. You still cry yourself to sleep. You still have moments where you feel like you aren't good enough. You still have moments where you feel like you can't breathe and you need a little help inhaling. The straight up, “Nah, God, I’m trying to do my own thing today.” Everything you want and everything you are pursuing seem to not be so easy. Sometimes God even tells you to hold up on the things you desire and tells you to wait and chill. Man, I know the feeling. I've had times and still have moments where I'm straight up confused, and the last thing I feel like doing with a heavy heart and gulp of tears in my throat is press into God. "Press into God? What you mean press into God? Could someone take a moment and press into ME? I'm the one hurting!" The feeling of, "God... Where the heck are You and why do I feel like You've abandoned me?" Don’t worry - you aren’t the only one tripping. David in Psalms 22 cried out the same thing, and God considered David a man after God’s own heart. Let me be real with you. Surrendering your life to God is not a game nor is it sunshine and sprinkles all of the time. I am actually still in the pruning process and currently being stripped away from the things I want. My wait is hard... but man, His grace is sufficient even in my weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest in me. “ His grace is sufficient enough when I feel like giving up... His grace is sufficient when I've messed things up... His grace is sufficient when I've chosen to be raggedy and not righteous. Understand me - your greatest asset in your serveship to the Lord is your lack. Your greatest asset in your relationship with Jesus Christ is your weakness. All my life, I've been told to "suck it up." But my blog partner Lauren said something really cool... "You don't have to suck it up with Jesus. He didn't die for you to suck it up. Sucking it up implicates that YOU must carry the weight." Whew! Yo I almost forgot, man... I don't have to carry the weight. Jesus said, "Come to me all who are weary, and I will give you rest." Not come to me all who are perfect..not come to me all who have sucked it up, but all who are weary. I don't know about y'all, but I've had moments of weariness where I was tripping. But let me remind you real quick - tripping puts you in a good position to kneel. We seem to forget that resting place of salvation that God has called us to. I still sometimes cry myself to sleep. I still sometimes have bad days... like "really, God? Really?" I still have moments when I'm like, "God, I don't wanna do it Your way; I wanna do it my way." And of course, Him loving me like He does... He swoops in and wrecks my little raggedy plans and gets me and my life how He wants it real quick despite how I feel. Oh and another thing, God doesn't care about your little feelings. Yes, he cares for you, but He's concerned about what's best for you. And what's best for you is His plan and His will for your life. When you said yes to God --- your old life was crucified. You gave up your life, and now you are on the pursuit to look like the One you behold. News flash: you behold Christ. Remember the prayer you prayed a while ago asking God to use you? Well…. If you relate with this whole blog and you feel like you’re being stretched – Congratulations, shorty! God is preparing you so He’s able to use you for His Glory. Oh yeah, again, this life ain’t about you. Get used to it. Please remember that God is our hope. Our identity is found in Him. Not that job, car, shorty - but Him. You are being built up for something great. I encourage you to believe that God has your back, and He believes in you. Oh, and I believe in you, too! He won't hold any good thing from you. So in the middle of your tears and your weariness, press. There is a life filled with everything you ever wanted or needed on the other side of your obedience! I love you forreal, and so does Jesus! Xo - A "Do you, boo" used to be my slogan. My thing. I figured that, hey, if someone wanted to do something with his/her life - they got it. Who am I to tell a grown a** person what to do?
But the more I delved into the Word and spent time with God, the more I realized that condoning people in living according to their selfish desires is NO BUENO - yeah, it's your life, but it's not always ABOUT you. As followers of Christ, our fruits are exhibited based on our decisions to submit to either our flesh or to the Spirit in our daily walks. Our lives are literally the representation of Christ in this world each day. WOW. Can you imagine if someone decided whether or not to accept Jesus into his/her heart based on the way you - a follower of Christ - behaved toward them. Oh, wait - people do! If you are the only slice of Jesus someone sees each day but you cuss them out when they say something you don't agree with or you snap at them when you get irritated or you gossip to them about someone else, what part of Jesus are you showing them?? The wrong way to respond to sin is with sin. You respond with GRACE because that's what we, as Believers, are strong enough, wise enough to do in this life. And, most importantly, it is ONLY by God's Grace that we were saved by Christ Jesus. Who are we to not extend the same grace extended to us? I talk about "denying my flesh" a lot in my other posts, which may just sound like I'm abstaining from giving in to sexual desires, but it doesn't just end there. Denying your flesh means making a conscious decision to CHOOSE things that are of the Spirit. The Fruits of the Spirit (outlined in Galatians 5:22-26) are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Choosing the Spirit each day, each moment is a battle won against sin. It's a battle won against evil. Y'all, this life is merely a whole bunch of situations in which we make choices. Profound - I know. But forreal. It's: "Should I respond to his insult sweetly or do I need to show him who's boss?" Choose kindness. "Should I continue this argument, or should I just let it go?" Choose peace. "Should I join my friend in a 'petty party' and talk trash or should I change the subject and turn away from gossip?" Choose goodness. Guys, there aren't levels to our Christian lives. You can't be lukewarm to being a follower of Christ. You can't let some sins be "okay" and other sins be the ones from which you abstain. It's all in. It's a lifestyle. Better yet - it's a NEW LIFE. It's a CULTURE. A lot of people ask why God let's bad things happen in this world. They say, "If God is all-powerful, why does He let someone go into a church and murder people? Why does He let such terrible, evil things happen?" I don't have an answer for everything. But one thing I do know is that this world is not merely struggles of man against man. Flesh against flesh. We are not just a bunch of humans fighting one another. Instead, it says in Ephesians 6:12, “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.” Y'all - each of your choices has repercussions in the spiritual realm. Your decision to choose peace, kindness and love over strife, anger and evil makes a difference in people's lives, in people's spirits. That guy who killed people in a church chose to be led by an evil spirit to do so. Those families who forgave that killer for murdering their loved ones chose a spirit of forgiveness, of love to do so. It's not that God doesn't have the power to stop things from happening. He does. But He also has given us this thing called FREEDOM. God loves us SO MUCH He let's us make decisions for ourselves. He lets us choose evil or choose Him. He lets us choose sin/flesh or choose the Spirit. That's why things happen the way they do in this life. Life is all about choices. I was watching a sermon by John Piper a few nights ago, and he mentioned something I knew I had to include in this post. He said, "All people hate suffering. Most people don't hate sin." Drops mic. He also went on to say that, "Life is a FIGHT of faith and a war on sin... The corpse that is sin is always after you trying to kill you." In short - you're ALWAYS going to be fighting sin (the flesh). No matter how close you are to God. No matter how great you think you're doing at denying your flesh. Sin will always be trying to creep its way back into your life. Evil always wants you to succumb to it. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:18-19 that those who don't know God "are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.” Upon looking up the definitions of sensuality and sensitivity (I thought it was odd they were juxtaposed like this, don't they mean like the same thing? Nope!) I found that sensuality means "the condition of being pleasing or fulfilling to the senses" while sensitivity is synonymous with responsiveness, consideration, care, thoughtfulness, empathy. Get this - when we give in to desires of the flesh, when we focus solely on our OWN flesh, we can't feel others. It's as if you can only feel your own desires and needs; you can't experience and empathize with the world the way God has called us to. Going back to my boy John -- when we are in Christ, we CRUCIFY those fleshly, sinful desires. That corpse of sin that tries to come after us needs to be KILLED daily (Galatians 5:24) if we are to win this battle called life. It's not easy, y'all! Do you know how many times each day I have to call on the Spirit of Shut-Up (thanks, Heather) to not tell someone how I really feel but to show God's love instead? It's painful sometimes, but it's NECESSARY. You never know what kinds of spiritual bombs you're setting off or, conversely, detonating with your responses to others. If you're still with me (TLDR version), this post can essentially be summed up by this verse: “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:8-9 I love y'all! PLEASE keep it up! #ChoosePeaceChallenge: For 30 days (and hopefully for the rest of your life) I want you to #ChoosePeace in your daily lives. Just as I mentioned, people are frustrating! But instead of giving in to the flesh and telling them how you really feel, #ChoosePeace. Write down each time you do it and then later reflect on how it made you feel. You'll thank yourself (and God) for it! Musical pairings: "Good, Good Father" - Casting Crowns "Give Me Faith" - Elevation Worship "For Your Glory" - Tasha Cobbs - L "But, God, You aren't my only desire."
Let’s be real - we all have been here. Let me be real - I was there last week. It was too early, I was too tired, and my little raggedy self felt like, “God should understand - I’m sleepy, and I’ll get my time in later.” As if time spent with Him is doing Him a favor and not us. But why isn’t He our only desire? As I was led to write this blog, that question was literally all I could ask Him. Why, God? Why aren’t You our only desire? How, sway? How? When You are the One Who gives it all, haves it all and sent someone to die to cover us. Why wouldn’t we want You and just You? As I type this, the word I hear is “disbelief." We don’t really believe in the God Who has done it all for us and Who continues to do it all for us. We don’t really trust Him. We only trust in the things we can see. We can see the type of house we want, we can see the type of shorty we are attracted to, and we can see what having more money does for us. We are religious, we are lazy, and we love our parents' God. We don’t give anything to God. We don’t sacrifice nothing for Him. We only care about ourselves and our own selfish desires, which have nothing to do with no one else. We live in our own little imaginary boxes where the things we desire mean more to us than any “move of God." Yeah, sure - we want the move of God in our lives, but only if it works out in our favor. And some of us don’t even peep that we desire other things more than we desire God. “I get up every morning and spend time with God.” We take pride in our little 45 second prayer, 2-minute devotional book and 140-character Instagram caption. "How dare you, Ariel? How dare you judge my time with God!" I don’t mean to rain on your parade, shorty, but that’s not enough. We are called for so much more, and the only way we can get more is to give up ourselves. The only way we can desire more of Him is by submerging ourselves in His presence. What you feed grows; what you starve dies. Bruh, we are called to heal the sick, raise the dead, touch the untouchables and cast out demons (Matthew 10:8). Your 15 minutes a day with Him ain’t going to do nothing but make you feel good about yourself. And that’s our problem - we are so caught up on HOW WE FEEL. That’s why we desire things other than God, which means we desire other things more than God. So, what does your heart look like? What does your life look like? Show me your life and your daily choices, and I’ll tell you what your heart looks like and where it lies. Matthew 6:21 tells us, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Are you procrastinating on what God is telling you to do because you'd rather watch television? Do you repeatedly press snooze in the morning, missing your quiet time with God because you're sleepy? Do you worry instead of pray? Do you ignore the ways out of temptation that God gives you and choose sin? Are you choosing yourself, him/her, this/that and not HIM? One of my friends did a bomb message titled “F*** yo life” teaching from the Matthew 10:39: “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” He said, “the GREATEST human achievement is finding God.” Proverbs 8:35-36 tells us, “When you find Me, you find life, real life, and receive favor from the Lord. But if you don’t find Me, you damage your very soul, when you reject me, you’re flirting with death.” Whew. Flirting with death? "So, Ariel, are you saying we can’t desire anything?" Nah, I am not saying that at all. We were created to have desires, and we are created to have what we desire. But let’s desire ALL of God FIRST. Let’s give up ourselves and allow Him to place His desires in our hearts. Many times, our desires aren’t even the desires He has for our lives, but if we sit before Him long enough, His desires become our desires. Psalms 37:4: “Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” That scripture tells us He will GIVE us the desires of our heart once we delight in Him. Which means we really don’t even have real desires if they aren’t given to us by Him. Like, they are just useless ideas and like the wind outside. It may make us a bit chilly, move stuff around and sometimes mess some things up if not stable enough (haaa), but it has no real significance. You ever try to chase wind? Let’s get this straight. Apart from God, you can do nothing! Nada! Zilch! You can’t produce anything, you can’t receive anything, you can’t even see properly. He is the Source. He is the main thang sha-bang. For you to even have a desire worth something, you MUST be connected to Him. “I am the vine: you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” – John 15:15 Meditate on that for two hot seconds. N-O-T-H-I-N-G! Let’s not be like the Israelites and doubt the desires God has for us leading us on a “forty year” detour to the promised land. Our own selfish desires will leave us in a wilderness season way longer than God intended. Anything you desire more than God or other than God (which is the same thing) will lead you into straight up destruction. His desires for our lives are far better than what we have planned. Desiring something other than Him or more than Him isolates us from Him. “Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world --- wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important ---- has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from Him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out --- but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.” – 1 John 2:15 I encourage you to chase after God's desires and walk into your eternity. I love you, foreal! Xo - A So at this point, you may be like, "Lauren and Ariel, why are y'all trying to push us closer to God? Why do I need to have a relationship with Him anyway?"
Before we dive in too deep, I wanna give you a disclaimer: you gotta feel and experience God for Who He is yourself; it's not something I can make you feel. Once you accept Christ as your Savior (yes, that part is mandatory), you begin to develop a relationship with God. That's when you feel it. Okay, cool. Now that that's established, let's go back to the "why God is so freakin dope" part. It's impossible to put God in these little categories of Who He is, but there are a few main points I wanna hit on here: 1. God is love 2. God is a God of promises 3. God is all-powerful When Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden (and don't blame it all on Eve - Adam was right there listening to the serpent, too), the FIRST thing God did was come through the garden looking for them and say, "Where are you?" God loves us SO MUCH, His first inclination when we sin is not to say, "Ya don' messed up, Lauren," but instead it's to say, "Where are you?" Did you know God is pursuing you? Do you realize God is patiently waiting for you to accept Christ in your heart and assume your natural role as a child of the Most High God? "Lauren, to be honest, I think I'm doing just fine without getting anything from a relationship with God." Let me break this down for you: you already receive from God whether you thank Him for it or not. Every good and perfect gift is from God (James 1:17). Let me say that again... EVERY good and perfect gift is from God. You over here thanking the universe and good luck for the great things you've gotten in this life... Do you really think they were just plopped down on you by chance? Nah. God's love for you is SO GREAT, He blesses you even when you don't want to acknowledge Him. A lot of people have grown up with this perspective that God is this authoritarian, punishing being. That all God does is smite you when you've done wrong. (If you want a deeper analysis of Who God is, I HIGHLY recommend reading The God-Shaped Brain by Timothy Jennings. It changed my life. You can borrow my copy.) That's not the case. Let's back up here. Remember when I told you God is love? That all He wants is a relationship with you, His child? That's Who God is. Perhaps the most popular verse ever is John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not die but will have eternal life." It's a great verse. But people often don't understand its true value. The world was a terrible place before Jesus came. Like perhaps even worse than it is now (hard to imagine). God had already done the flood thing with Noah building the ark to try to restore some good in the world. But, of course, we as humans are inclined to sin. We are born sinners. We have to accept Jesus in our hearts to truly be set free from sin. When Jesus was born to descendants of Jews AND Gentiles (that's important because He is the God of not just Jews but non-Jews as well), He was born into this world to be of both flesh (that stuff that makes you wanna sin) and of the Spirit (God-like). I'll delve more into Jesus later (He deserves His own post), but the cool thing here is that God planned this all out VERY precisely. What other God gives you a Savior you can relate to so well? What other God allows His SON to be sacrificed and slain on a cross - the punishment of criminals - for the sins of people who may or may not even accept Him into their lives? What other God can move mountains and break down strongholds for you in this world. NO OTHER GOD!!! Okay, so at this point, you're either convinced or you're 'bout to stop reading. I hope it's the former. On to the promises part. God loves us SO MUCH, He makes promises to us. And He ALWAYS keeps them. If you're like me, at one point in your life, you dealt with stress, anxiety and worry (this is a longer post). But what's incredible about God is that He will ALWAYS be there for you. There isn't a problem you're experiencing in this life that He doesn't care about because it affects you. You can't say to God, "Oh, God, this problem is too small and trivial for You to waste Your time on - I know You don't care," because if it's important to YOU, it's important to GOD. So often in this life, we get caught up in the circumstances of the world, but we don't focus on God's promises to us as His children. If you are a child of God, you don't stress. You don't grow anxious. You don't worry! Some of my favorite promises are: He will never leave us nor forsake us. He holds us by His righteous right hand. His peace transcends all understanding. ALL things work together for good for those who love Him. I can trust in Him with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. He didn't give us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. He is faithful, and He will do it. He is my rock, my refuge. God claims me as more than a conqueror. And, most encouraging, John 16:33 gives us these comforting words from Jesus: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Y'all - that's what being a child of God is! His promises promise us a life of peace! There are numerous other promises in the Bible, but these are the ones I recite in my head when I feel lost or scared or uncertain. And as you affirm them, God comforts you in your time of need. Y'all still with me? Okay, good! Lastly, God is all-powerful. Like --- He can do ANYTHING. When most people think of God's ability to perform miracles, they think of Moses parting the Red Sea. They think of Jesus feeding feeding 5,000 people with a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread. But what a lot of people fail to realize is that God didn't stop there. He didn't call it quits back in the days of the Bible. I've seen Him work miracles in my life and in other people's lives in the here and now. I've been there on my knees calling out to Him to do things that ONLY HE has the power to do. Miracles happen when your faith and God's power collide. (I stole that from Pastor Trav, so don't attribute it to me lol) Do you really think God was like, "Mmm I'ma stop my miraculous works in the 2000s...It's too late for them...?" No way, man! I told myself I would always be real with y'all, so here it is. To go along with His ability to work miracles in your life, we also have to get real about His wrath. This isn't a series of paragraphs to scare you into knowing God, but let's be honest here - Jesus is coming back one of these days. Probably soon. We know not the time nor the hour, but He'll be back. And your good deeds, your great morals, your love for other people and all of the other things people think will save them are NOT gonna get you a first class ticket through the gates of heaven. Shoot - even Zephaniah 1:18 notes that your money can't save you from the end of times. If you're thinking you don't need God in this life because you're ballin' and you got a great job and you're happy with everything... none of that is going to matter when Jesus returns on that white horse. But fear not, child! That's why Jesus is here for ya. That's why we've been given the privilege to know Him and accept Him into our lives. By His wounds, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)! Whew! That was a lot. But I pray everyone who reads this post will get something out of it. I just want you to experience God in all of His glory. I want you to experience All He can do for you. I pray you'll feel the love He encompasses you in, His greatness and His faithfulness. If you ever wanna talk about it, we're all ears. [email protected] Like a fine wine with a delicious dinner, here are some good musical pairings for this post. "Made a Way" - Travis Greene "Do It Again" - Elevation Worship "How He Loves" - David Crowder Band - L “Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem, by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer: Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe --- and you’re ready.” – Song of Solomon 2:7
“…Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe and you’re ready” has literally been in the pit of my soul for days now. Now, let me first say that I am as single as the four quarters in my cup holder. Don’t make any sense, huh? Yeah, that’s how single I am. Pray for me saints. (ha) But no, really. I know the struggle. I know the struggle of being/feeling rejected. I know the struggle of really not liking “Dae-Dae” because he does this high-pitched laugh I just can’t get with, or even the struggle of “there’s plenty of fish in the sea, honey, just be patient. *heavy side eye and eye roll* If someone can send me a memo of which sea everyone seems to be fishing in to the comment box on our blog site, I’d really appreciate it! But no, again, I really have been there and fight every day not to go back there. I’ve felt the feeling of thinking I wasn’t attractive enough or just straight up not good enough because some man didn’t choose me to be his little boo thang (straight up foolishness). So, before I really try to break this thing down let’s cast these thoughts of foolishness and shake it off. Pray with me: “God, I thank you for choosing me. I thank you for loving me and creating me not in the realms of fear but of awesome wonder. The plans you have for me go beyond my little raggedy emotions and boxed in imagination, and I will trust in the path you have chosen for me. Thank you for your relentless love that continues to pursue me more than any other human being on this earth, and I thank you for helping me rest in that love. In Jesus' name, Amen.” Ok, whew! Now that we have declared that we are the bomb (because of Jesus love, of course). Let’s get to it! “Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe.” What does that even mean? Various translations of the Bible tell us not to awaken love before it’s time. Some of y'all gon' try and act like y'all don’t even know what that means. But it’s cool, I’m here. You know us women can be straight up forcers and try to force things because homie is kinda fine or whatever and the simple fact is: we just straight up thirsty. We get real cotton mouth for different people who aren’t even meant for us. “I aint never force nothing with no man in my life.” Baby girl, liking every picture on his Instagram and low key knowing his whole family by name before he even really knows your name is forcing it. This is the problem, here: We sometimes put so much focus on a certain (or a few, I don’t know your life, playa) man in just little things we do. Whether it's scrolling up and down his Instagram every couple of hours or even consuming our time texting and talking to him, resulting in not having enough time to sit before God, or even clean our dog on bathroom tub. We literally begin to idolize a human being (idol: anything you think about and give attention to more than God) and then when it doesn’t work out, our whole life comes crashing down. Now we are depressed, lonely, questioning our worth and straight up mad at God. Yo, it’s so funny how we be mad at God for something he clearly told us NO to. Let me say this: I know the feelings of depression, anxiety, so on and so forth are real life emotions and I’m not trying to downplay them. But those emotions were not meant for you. They weren’t created for you to rest in, and they are sent straight from the pits of hell. I am so sick and tired of women feeling like they aren’t enough because of a man. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14), like straight up, this is not a game. *Puts hands on my head and paces the floor* God has created someone special just for you! Trust Him! His plan is perfect. What is for you will pursue you - every time! I know you gave that man your all, and he didn’t do nothing with it. I get it. But let it go. Give it to Jesus. Be fly! Learn to cook (currently)! Write a book! Learn scripture! Spend time in the presence of God! Grow as a woman! Help other women! Do and be all that God has called you to be. I really believe the person for you will align with your purpose. The person for me will align with my purpose (excuse me, while I stir myself up right quick). But, if you are so busy trying to find you’s a man and don’t even know what the purpose of your life looks like, your little find-a-man quick scheme isn’t going to go too smooth. Stop exciting things you aren’t ready for! Your fullness and wholeness is in Christ Jesus. Period, end, point blank. And if you don’t take the time to really rest in that promise and grow in it, every encounter you have with a counterfeit (a man you think is God’s best for you) will ruin you. I encourage those who may be in a current relationship that you know God has already given you that little nudge, like, “nah bruh, he aint it”. Leave, and ask God for courage to do so. And let’s be real, we are aware of those little nudges of no’s God gives us. But, we choose to ignore them because we really don’t trust God with our whole lives. “But, Ariel, I love him, he fine, he got a little money honey and he makes me happy.” And that’s all great, I bet he is an awesome person. But be led by the Holy Spirt inside of you and pay close attention. Pray! Pray! Pray! Pray about the person you may be or want to be involved with. God will reveal things to you that you can’t see. That person could be a great person but just not God’s best for you, and that’s okay. The good news is that God has even better for you! Also, side note: Let’s please throw the happiness part straight out the window. Like, being happy is a very important component of life and it will be present when you yield to God’s perfect plan for you. But stop depending on a man to make you happy! Happy is an emotion based from a condition and we all know the conditions of life change. So choose to be surrendered over happy! Now, that’s a good word right there! But I’ll tell y’all more later. Always remember: Yes to the wrong relationship is no to God’s best for you. Don’t get in the way of what God wants to orchestrate in your life. Allow Him to be the head of your life and stop trying to be in control. He knows you, and He knows who and what you need (thanks Jeff Bethke for the nugget, look him up!). Matthew 6:31-33 (MSG) tells us: “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Lastly, there is NOTHING wrong with dating or courting at all. I just want you to be led by God in all that you do and pursue friendship before marriage while setting Jesus as your foundation. Don’t settle for the 7 when God has promised you a 10. I’m out. I love you, foreal! Xo -A Wilderness: an uncultivated, uninhabited and inhospitable region. A wasteland. (Thanks, Google).
Wilderness: when you graduate from the university of your dreams, you have a dozen (literally) internships and job experiences before graduating... and you still don't have a job upon graduation. You seek. You apply. You don't find. "But, God, didn't You say if I ask then I shall receive? God, didn't you say if I do the Lord's work, I'll get the desires of my heart? GOD, didn't you say You'd never leave me nor forsake me?!" We've all been in a wilderness, whether you realized it or not. You're in a pinch in your finances (see tithing post). You're looking for a job or internship. You're single and wanting your future spouse to find you (def another post). You're looking for a way out of a rock and a hard place. The thing about the wilderness is that you often don't see it coming, but it hits you like a ton of bricks when it comes. It's as if you're riding through the Sonoran desert on a party bus and you're suddenly dumped on the side of the road without food or water for [insert number of days]. Ouch. Still not getting the wilderness concept? Wildernesses are seasons in our lives when we feel as if we've reached our wits end. We feel neglected. Naked. Scared. Crippled. Wildernesses are times when you think God has forsaken you. "GOD, didn't you say You'd never leave me nor forsake me?" He sure did. In a book called It's Not What You Think by Jefferson Bethke (great read, highly recommend), I was introduced to the concept of a wilderness... and then I went through one. Thanks for the heads up, Holy Spirit. Either way, Bethke describes the wilderness as a desolate yet beautiful time. We are LURED into the wilderness by God -- and He's also the One Who brings us out. We grow closer to God in our wilderness because He's the only Power that can sustain us in that time. When we are meandering through our wilderness, God is the only Light that can lead us out of it. "But, Lauren, why would God lure me to a place that makes me feel lost and deserted?" God, as our Creator, wants us to need Him. He wants us to see how beautiful our lives are when we are out of our comfort zones and completely dependent upon Him. He wants us to see that He will fill the voids in our lives if we seek Him wholeheartedly -- even in the midst of a dry season. How often do you seek God if everything in your life is going perfectly? Rewind to my job dilemma. It's a longer story (tell ya later), but I had to be lured into that wilderness. I've trusted God to provide for me, and I've given Him the glory for the amazing things I was able to achieve in college. But at that point in my life (mind you, it was just a few months ago), I thought the work experiences I'd had were enough to get me the glitzy job in [insert city]. LAUREN's resume was spotless, and her references were incredible. But I wasn't getting calls back. I wasn't getting any bites from the jobs I wanted. I had to get to the end of myself - the end of what LAUREN was capable of doing herself - so that I could be sat down in my wilderness and see God in all His glory, all that He is able to do without any of my help whatsoever. I knew I wasn't going to settle for job offers in roles that didn't align with my career plans - those are the oases in the cartoons that the character hallucinates seeing after walking dehydrated in the heat for so long. You know the one with the flowing water and palm tree for shade. They're simply there to tempt you and see if you'll give in to less than what you know God has for you! Y'all, Jesus was tempted in the desert by the devil (Matthew 4) after not eating or drinking for 40 DAYS. I recognize we're not Jesus, but the awesome thing about Christ is that He lived as human flesh, so He knows exactly how we feel when we go through things, when our emotions start firing (another blog post), when we don't have what we (think we) need to survive. All God wants you to do in your wilderness is trust the process. You've heard them say "can't make diamonds without pressure," but what we really should think of is that God's perfect plan for your life can't come to fruition without you surrendering (there's that word again) it all to Him and trusting that He's going to get you through it and bring you to what HE has planned for you. Those plans are to prosper and not harm you, plans for a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). When I first read John 1:3, I thought it was crazy. Consider it PURE JOY, when you face trials of many kinds? Pure joy? I'm miserable, man! But nah - read the next two verses. "Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance FINISH ITS WORK so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing." Don't rush your wilderness, y'all. When it says you're lacking nothing, after you go through your wilderness, you're not lacking faith. You're not lacking patience. You're not lacking determination and perseverance. You're not lacking the tenacity it takes to get through life. We know Jesus' grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) - we lack NOTHING if we recognize we can rest in His Grace. He told us to take heart because He has already overcome the world! (John 16:33) So amazing. I know I'm speaking broadly here, but from this year's election (pardon my partisan) to the tests of your spirit your friends or coworkers put you through, there are going to be so many things that you just don't understand in this life. "God, why I gotta go through this? I thought I showed You I love You and trust You already!" But the more you practice letting go and letting God, the more you let Him take the wheel and steer you in the direction in which you should go, the easier it is to go from faith to faith and get through your next wilderness or your next test/trial. God is omnipotent and omniscient, which are just two high school vocab words that tell us He is all powerful and everywhere all the time. When we recognize that He is right there watching us and waiting for us to grab His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10), that's when we learn to appreciate the wilderness and learn from all that its barrenness has truly brought us. Prayer: Father God, please guide me in this wilderness and let me be led by You and You alone. Please let Your good and perfect will be done in my life and allow me to see this wilderness as a time to grow closer to You. I trust You in this process because I know that after this season, I'll be more mature and complete in You. You are the bread of life and my sustainer! Thank you for molding and growing me so that I can have more perserverance and more faith. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Y'all are awesome! I love you! - L So you know that checklist you have? The one that reads: no drinking, no smoking, no having sex, no going to clubs, no listening to rap music, no to whatever you think that will send you straight to hell? Yea, that list. Rip it up.
Ok cool, now that we’ve gotten that hindrance out of the way. Lets talk about Sin. "Sin? Nah girl, I don’t sin. Besides God knows my heart." "And when I do sin it, isn’t a huge deal or anything. I mean I cuss sometimes, I drink a little more than I should, but I mean, it isn’t like I’m sleeping with somebody's husband/wife. The one person I am sleeping with is my girlfriend/boyfriend and besides we don’t have sex all the time – just a few nibbles here or there. It’s no big deal!" ...Y'all? Who this sound like? US! And if none of it sounds like you at one point in your life, leave. Lol jk But fareallllll – All sin, no matter what you deem large or small separates you from God. Isaiah 59:12 Just to be clear, separation from God means separation from the wholeness of Who He is, the wholeness of Who God created you to be. It also separates you from your purpose, and if you really want to get real, it will separate you from heaven after a while if you keep playing with it. So, what does sin really mean? After a good ol’ google search, it means to miss the mark. What mark is that? That mark for me is Jesus. If we are missing Jesus, that means we are missing love, joy, peace, purpose etc. Let me also say, that was much easier for me to type now then it was to convince myself back when I had my then “significant” other (which there was clearly no significance to him because he clearly didn’t care about my soul) kissing on my neck, while begging to put the tip in. Praise THE LORD for continued deliverance! I’ll go into sexual sin, lust and how it leads to raggedy soul ties in another blog. Sin is mentioned 100 times in the Bible! So don’t worry - you weren’t the only one then and 2,000 plus years later, you still aren’t the only one. I’ve been bound to a certain sin and let me tell you, that thing was no fun. So, how did you overcome it, Ariel? To tell you the truth, all I can give you is the cliché answer, and it's Jesus. Straight up and down the dude Who died for my sins. I’ve tried the check list, and it didn’t work. I felt like a crack-head. Well, not really but you get the picture I’m trying to paint. I was always giving into more nonsense and coming back flat empty. That’s what sin does. Ezekiel 4:16-17: Then he said to me, “Son of man, I’m going to cut off all food from Jerusalem. The people will live on starvation rations, worrying where the next meal’s coming from, scrounging for the next drink of water. Famine conditions. People will look at one another, see nothing but skin and bones, and shake their heads. This is what sin does.” Religion is not going to save you, but a relationship with Jesus will. You will not be able to get this thing right on your own accord. You will make yourself straight up miserable. I had to make a full out decision that each day, I wanted to see what Jesus was about, and that’s when my life began to change. You need more God. Spend time with Him! Press into Him! Stop being so thirsty when it gets hard and lay out before Him. He will get this thing right for you, not your little raggedy check list. I challenge you to focus your attention more on Him, and He will begin to literally take the taste of sin straight up out of your mouth. I literally would have to call that thing out and beg to God to help me in that certain area I wanted to continuously give into. Every day, even now, I must focus on Who Jesus is, from spending time in worship, listening to things that edify God (setting the atmosphere), and meditating on scriptures. If you’re having problems with sexual sin, the last thing you should be listening to is Uncle Luke’s greatest hits. But don’t take my word for it. None of this stuff is easy - it takes consistency and discipline. It’s a lifestyle because I’m telling you, I know the enemy is waiting for me to have an off week, where I miss my quiet time with Jesus and miss out on reading my Bible for about three days. But, I have to make a personal decision every day, that I’m good on the constant slip ups. I’m tired of missing the mark, I’m tired of missing Jesus. “Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done.” Whatever that means, I’m all in! Although sin can cause you to fall, there isn’t a fall out there that God can’t catch you from. Even in your sin, He is constantly pursuing you with His relentless love. Don’t think for a second you must live like a saint for God to love you and pour His promises over you. Don’t think for a second that you’re too deep in your sin to receive the love of God. Don’t think for a second that God can’t use you because of what you’ve done or what you’re doing. Get this - it’s not about you, it's all about Him. It’s about embracing God and what He did for you that declares you fit before Him. You better go read about Abraham. That man there! Romans 4:17-18 tells us God made Abraham the “father of faith,” and it wasn’t because he lived like a saint but because God made something out of Abraham when he was nothing. Abraham plunged into God's promises and didn’t look at his own impotence but focused on God, His way, and His promises. This week, take the shift off of you. Write that thing down you’ve been struggling with and put it before God and give it to him. Your sins are wiped clean. Repent, for He keeps no score. Renew your mind with the Word of God (take a scripture a day on your struggle and read it over and over - Google is your friend). He loves you, He wants to pour out His holy spirit on you. Take this time now and worship all that He is and thank Him for loving you. You are no longer bound to sin or identified by it. I love you, foreal. Xo -A This Thanksgiving, our timelines were covered with dub challenges -- an old and recent picture of yourself juxtaposed to show how much you've "glo'n up" since grade school. The ugly years (then) vs. the pretty years (now).
While I honestly thought these were gold -- won't He do it! Lord knows I've been through my ugly stage -- I thought about what this means in terms of our spiritual glo up... or have we had one? Fall 2012, I was a naive freshman on the University of South Carolina's campus. I liked to hangout with my new friends. I liked to drink and party and smoke. I liked to kiss every cute boy who came my way. I liked to gossip with my friends (that's a whole 'nother blog post). I also had suicidal thoughts. I also suffered from anxiety so severe it would cause me intense stomach pain. I also used to obsess over my weight and body image so much I'd just stop eating if I thought I was getting too big. But in January 2013, I rededicated my life to Christ one Sunday evening after getting off work at Hollister and heading to my home church for evening service. The same church I'd been attending since I was 3 years old. The thing about your relationship with Christ is that it's not real until it's just you and Him. It's not real until you get to your wits end and are SO unhappy about life and your decisions and your situation that you can't do anything else but seek His face. No one can build your relationship with Christ but you. That's a deep COVENANT between you and God that no one can touch or interfere with. Fall 2016 looks A LOT different. I seek God in every aspect of my life, making Him the center of my life and not just a priority. I have a job I love and one in which I believe I'm doing God's work. I have a God-fearing, loving boyfriend who sets up physical boundaries FOR US. I have great mental health. I have friends who challenge me to be more like Christ. And, with God's guidance, I'm finally walking in my purpose and using my spiritual gifts by collaborating with my good friend in creating this blog. God is SO GOOD! Y'all - you can't compare your life to others' lives. You can't compare your glo up to others' glo ups. You can't compare your relationship with Christ to others' relationship with Christ. In Ephesians 4:22-24, the Bible says when we put off our former selves, when we die to our old ways, we are made new in the attitude of our minds. When we remove ourselves from lives corrupted by deceitful desires, we are new and created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Talk about refreshing! A concept noted in both Mark (chapters 9 and 2) and Luke (chapter 5) is that, back in the day, people didn't pour old wine into new wineskins. The reason behind that was because the new wine would not only burst the wineskin, creating a mess, but it would also ruin the new wine because it was mixed with the old wine. As Believers who are born again in Christ, we can't mix our past ways and our new selves. We can't live according to the flesh when we're trying to be made new in the Spirit. All it does is create in us a HOT MESS of a life and ruin our future selves. And just like wine, which is said to get better with age, our souls are supposed to get better with age as they are continously pruned by God. One time for the wine analogy. So, how do we do this aforementioned spiritual glo up? How do we have a better understanding of who God wants us to be, in Him? The more you press into God, the more you'll see yourself for who you are. You'll see you still need to work on denying your flesh (me). You'll see you still need to take better care of your body, working out and eating better (also me). You'll see you still need to work on being the friend, sister, daughter, coworker God is calling you to be (meeeee). But the best part about all of this is that you can see the growth you've had from where you were a month ago, a year ago, four years ago. You can see the growth you've had since you rededicated your life to Christ and surrendered it ALL (yes, all) to Him. Now that's how you win a dub challenge. Prayer: Father God, first off - thank you so much for saving me from my old self! Through your Son Jesus Christ, my Savior, I am made NEW! Please show me ways in which I can die to my flesh and live according to Your spirit. Please guide me in Your ways so that I can show others Your goodness. I know my body and my life are not my own - please lead me in my purpose and show me how to live the life You're calling me to live. I desire to know you more and more each day and spiritually mature in You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. - L |
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