His Plan Not Mine

Gods plan for Abraham was to make him a father of many nations. When Abraham started getting old and had no children he and his wife Sarah took matters into their own hands by impregnating a woman who was not his wife. Was this part of Gods plan? No it was not, but God still fulfilled the plan He had for his life!

There are many times we have taken matters into our own hands. We unknowingly attempt to divert Gods plan for our life and become discouraged when nothing worked out. God will still lead you when you follow Him. It may not be the way you thought it would be (Abraham and Sarah did not expect to have a child at such an old age), but He always will! Regardless of how often you try to do things your own way Gods plan will never change! He knows the plans He has for your life! Will you let Him fulfill it His way?

It's easy to let our hands get in the mix of things. Ever since I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior I felt Him leading me to ministry. As a sixteen year old girl I was excited that God had such a huge plan for my life! Shortly after that I started seeking what I wanted to do and enrolled myself in culinary school. I soon became aware of the fact that this wasn't Gods plan for my life so I un-enrolled. During this time I had people in my life who thought working in ministry would get me no where. Instead of following Gods plan I followed mans plan. That spring I started college in pursuit of a Criminal Justice degree. Throughout this whole ordeal Gods plan was still there. A year and a half later a guest speaker came to my church and talked on dream killers. It soon became apparent to me that the person who encouraged me to not follow the plan I felt led to was a dream killer in my life. Within a month I was applying for a missionary training center and preparing to leave for six months. When I got back I was caught up in the world again and started pursuing what I thought was Gods plan for my life. I have a passion and desire to help the hurt, abused, and abandoned generation of teenagers so I thought going to school for Social Work/Psychology would fit Gods plan. I was attempting to fit a piece of my puzzle where it didn't belong. Finally six years after I felt God calling me to live a life set apart for Him I enrolled in school for Intercultural studies with the desire to follow His plan and His plan only for my life. Are you willing to follow Gods plan? I am!




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Living Life On Purpose

Living Life On Purpose

We all have a decision to live life however we please. Growing up you are faced with the decision to play a sport, join a club, and what you want to major in at college. Not every decision you have is a major one in life (what are you going to wear in the morning) but each decision you make helps shape you into you. Who do you want to be known as? What do you want your legacy to say?

There are two people during Jesus's lifetime that purposefully made a decision that affected who they were. Judas made the decision to betray Jesus (Mark 13:10-11) and Peter denied Him 3 times. We all do things and make decisions that are not always the best. However I challenge you to start taking every thought into captivity. Let all of your thoughts filter through God before letting anything take root. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" 2 Corinthians 10:3-5


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Letting Go and Letting God

Letting Go and Letting God

Imagine climbing up a mountain. You are extended in the air thousands of feet and climbing toward the top. You are almost there and can taste completion, taste victory. You decide to look below and see something that catches your eye. Your attention changes and you attempt to reach for the object that has captured your eye. You are successful and start carrying it up the mountain with you. After a while you start to realize how heavy that object has become and you do not think you can go any further with it, but you are afraid that if you drop it, it may break. So, you continue up the mountain. As you are climbing up the mountain God is taking things off of you, to help you reach your goal. Finally He comes to the object you've reached back for and you have become so attached to it that you do not know what to do. You want to give it to God because you know it will be easier to continue without it but you do not know how. You have reached a dilemma, what do you do?

Trusting God does not always seem like the easiest and simplest thing to do, am I right? However Hebrews 3:14 says "For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." In your own eyes it may seem impossible to let God take over what you have held so near and dear to your heart. Stand strong believing that what God says is truth and "He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength."- Isaiah 40:29. Let go and "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and God will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33


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Is Christ Enough?

Over the past few weeks I've been reading a book by Eric and Leslie Ludy called "When God Writes Your Love Story." I've been learning a lot about loving God above all else. If He cannot be your first love then how can you love another? I read this quote from the book and really enjoyed it and decided to share it.

"Am I enough?" came the gentle challenge of my Prince, and His tender voice drowned out all the clamoring confusion in my mind. Jesus was, and would always be, much more than enough. He did not desire to destroy my life, to leave me as a desolate, lonely failure alone in the woods somewhere. He wanted me to put Him first, above everything else - to give my heart, time, affection, energy, and devotion to Him alone. He gently assured me that as I pursued Him and Him alone, all my other needs would be met. In the meantime, my only concern must be to worship Him with my every fiber of my being." - Leslie Ludy, Authentic Beauty

I challenge you to live a life fully devoted to Him and all your desires will come to pass! ("Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart." ~Psalm 37:4)



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Did you know?

I was listening to this song last night called Concrete Angel by Martina McBride and it made me realize many people may not know how real child abuse is in our nation. These statistics are taken from childhelp.org and were originally recorded in 2007.

•A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds.
•Almost five children die everyday as a result of child abuse. More than three out of four are under the age of 4.
•It is estimated that between 60-85% of child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates.
•90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way; 68% are abused by family members.
•Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education.
•31% percent of women in prison in the United States were abused as children.
•Over 60% of people in drug rehabilitation centers report being abused or neglected as a child.
•About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse.
•About 80% of 21 year old that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder.
•The estimated annual cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States for 2007 is $104 billion.
•Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy.
•Abused teens are 3 times less likely to practice safe sex, putting them at greater risk for STDs.

•Children who have been sexually abused are 2.5 times more likely to abuse alcohol
•Children who have been sexually abused are 3.8 times more likely develop drug addictions
•Nearly two-thirds of the people in treatment for drug abuse reported being abused as children

•Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy
•Abused teens are 3 times less likely to practice safe sex, putting them at greater risk for STDs

•14% of all men in prison in the USA were abused as children
•36% of all women in prison were abused as children
•Children who experience child abuse & neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crime.

After reading these statistics many people will feel very sad for those individuals and say that should not be happening. So my question is if it should not be happening what are you willing to do to change it?