For the whole of next week, I will be in New Hampshire as a counselor at a teen Christian camp. So I won't be posting till I get back. please pray for these teens, and that God would move in this camp.
July 2012
45 posts
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“(God) leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs…It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence, the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him the best…He wants them to learn to walk and therefore must take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles”
If you are feeling that spiritual dryness or distance from God’s presence, don’t worry, it’s not for nothing. God’s got a plan, as always =]
” —Screwtape Letters,
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16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
” —To all my followers: I just want to let you all know that I pray for you guys and love you. I really hope and pray that God is touching your hearts and lives through this blog, and that you strive to live for Him daily.
Love your sister in Christ,
Melody
God is in control
Proverbs 16:33 AMP
The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him].
Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his path, but the LORD determines his steps.”
- Which means that not only does God order the accidental, and plan the outcomes that we think are only governed by probability… but He is also sovereign even over our hearts & that even though we make plans & set goals, the Lord determines where we actually end up.
Giving the Glory to God
easier said than done. When people complement you in your spiritual gifts (ex. “you are so spiritually mature!” “You speak to people about spiritual things so well!” “you really have a great gift!” “I really want to be like you!” etc.), a lot of people end to gee the glory to themselves. but it says in psalm 115: 1~ “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” when people say these things to us, we really need to stop and think about who is really deserving of these complements. I am nothing without my God, so instead of accepting the praise that people give me, I simply say, “thank you, God is always speaking through me” or “thank you, but God deserves the praise more than I do.”
The wrong type of Attraction
today, one of my clue friends asked me for advice about acting upon feelings for a girl when he knew that it wasn’t right. This is how I responded:
“I PROMISE u that u will regret it as soon as u act upon that feeling. Ive experienced the same thing, and I acted upon that, and I regret it to this day.
I need to tell u that resisting this temptation will be hard and you can’t do it on your own.
I want you to rely on God in this situation, before you hang out with her. ask God to help you, and to help you have a positive Godly effect on this girl. ask him to help you with this urge and temptation, and give you wisdom in what do do in that situation because I know that u are human and that Im human and that she is human. and the flesh is easily persuaded, but with God we are more. thats my advice. u are in control of your actions and having God there will really help you. I don’t have some magic potion to make u unattracted to her. it will happen throughout life: attraction develop that aren’t normal or healthy or right
but it doesn’t mean we should act upon them.If God is number one in your life,
u need to STRIVE to live your life the way that is pleasing to Him. To live your life As Jesus lived.
it is not right or healthy to actually act upon your feelings with that person, it is normal to lust
and to have that attraction, it is part of being human: but it doesn’t make it right in God;s eyes. ask God to work in your heart and forgive you
things to do at present:
1. Ask God to keep your testimony pure
2. ask God to forgive you for your lust
3. repent of it (different from admitting)
4. avoid future situations where there is a chance of this temptation
it happens to everyone. the differences between people is how the act upon these desires. You can’t do it alone. God needs to be with you. “
so I have a friend who is saved, but...
“As you explore other people’s spiritual journeys, you will discover a number who have already come to know Christ, but who now appear to be trudging or headed in the wrong direction. what they need is help getting turned around.
There are 4 key principles:
1. The Divine gift- God has given us His Spirit so that we can experience intimacy with Him and enjoy all He has for us.
2. The present danger- We cannot experience intimacy with God and enjoy all he has for use if we fail to depend on His Spirit.
3. The intimate Journey- By walking in in the Spirit we increasingly experience intimacy with God and enjoy all He has for us.
4. The Empowering presence- We are filled with the Spirit by faith, enabling us to experience intimacy with God and enjoy all he has for us. “
I have friends who claim to have a relationship with Jesus, yet live their lives the same as the unsaved people around them. How do help them?
1. well, ultimately, God must work in their lives. we can badger and bug them all we want, but their heart is their own. PRAYER is a very important tool that you must use.
2. God’s timing is different than ours. A thousand years to us is a second to God. He will bring his lost sheep home at the right time. so RELYING ON GOD’S TIMING is very important. this person you are praying for might return to Christ years and ears down the road, but having faith in the fact that that person will return to God is just as important as those prayers.
3. HAVING A POSITIVE GODLY INFLUENCE INT THEIR LIVES is another good one. Something I always try to remember is that whatever person we come in contact with, we will have an effect on their lives. You can choose to make it an eternal effect. I always ask God to guide my daily interactions ,and the people I come in contact with each day.
4. BE THERE FOR THEM. God might use disasters to bring them back to Him. something so big , that they will see the power of God full on. it might be painful for them. Think of Israel. They rebelled against God so much, and a lot of the Time God had to use disasters and terrible lessons to bring them back to Him. But whatever it takes, is necessary.
It can really be hard to know what to do in these situations with friends, but don’t despair, once someone has accepted Jesus in their hearts, He will never leave them nor abandon them.
The past haunts my present
Tonight I attended a get together with some people from high school. (I’ve a sophomore in college now), and it was just a mind blowing night. My brain literally exploded with a realization: I will never, ever, fit in with them. no matter how hard I try, there will always be something not quite the same. Why? Because once I became a Christian, my whole way of thinking and lifestyle changed. They know something is different about me because I don’t drink or swear, and sometimes they don’t understand and criticize me about it. While most of them were drinking beer, they kept asking me why I didn’t drink, and what the point of coming was if I wasn’t going to drink. Some of my closer friends told them to back off and said “guys, it’s fine that shed doesn’t drink, leave her alone”, but of course, the peer pressure continued. topics came up that I didn’t want to participate in (a lot having to do with my ex boyfriend, who I made a bunch of bad decisions with), and it was all sort of a wake up call to me: The way I choose to live now will please God, but by no means will it please man. ever. and it is just something that comes with the surrender of myself to God. Do I regret it? never.
John 14:12 ESV“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
—Matthew 20:26-28, NLT (via newheight)
I know this isnt spiritual at all...haha, but I just had to tell you guys since I was so excited and I'm completely fangirling right now:
I swam with Alex Meyer today! I work at the Harvard pool so after work I got in to swim, and he just hopped into the lane next to me and did some laps. best. day. ever.
Alex is an open water swimmer and will be on team USA for the 2012 Olympic games. WATCH THEM
