License for Immorality?

"For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the GRACE of our God into a LICENSE for IMMORALITY and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." ~Jude 4.

I came across this verse in my study today. It really jumped out at me. First of all, it was very convicting. How many sins do I keep committing, because I know that I will be forgiven? Secondly, how many people are out there, that seem to be sure of their salvation, yet continue to live an ungodly life?

I lived that way for many years. I felt sure that I was saved. I thought I was going to Heaven, but I did not honor God with my life. I had a relationship with Him, but it was not the relationship that He desired to have with me. We were more of acquaintances than best friends. I had no real desire to change or to grow.

I am so thankful for my grandmother who led me to a Bible study group on Thursday mornings. I doubt that I would have ever gone to it on my own, but she bought me the book and then I felt like I had no choice but to go! It has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, spiritually. I have learned so much. I've met many other young mothers that have the same struggles as I do. They are an encouragement and an example to me. It has brought me so much closer to Jesus. Now, He really is my best friend. 

Living a "good life" is no longer a burden to me. It's something I want to do. I no longer use the assurance of my salvation as a license to do whatever I want. I have no desire to do the things I used to do. I definitely still have a lot to work on, but I am thankful that He opened my eyes and now I can see my sin and what I need to change. James 2:17 says that faith without works is dead. No, your good deeds cannot get you into Heaven, but if your faith is genuine, you will want to do good! The two go hand-in-hand.

I urge everyone to look into their own lives. Do you truly desire to live godly? If you know you need to change, don't put it off any longer. The devil will always give you an excuse not to do it today. And you know what? The devil is a liar! There is no excuse good enough. It is so worth the time and effort! I regret the years I wasted. How much farther in my faith could I be, if I had not wasted all that time! 

Thank You, God, for your grace and mercy and for forgiveness. Help us to never take your grace for granted but to always honor You. Thank You for your Spirit that convicts us of our immorality. Thank You for placing in me a desire to live a more godly life. Thank You for the godly people you have placed in my life to guide me in the right direction. In Jesus's name, AMEN!

Where does the time go?

I have to tell you that I love days like these. Rainy, dreary days where I am stuck in the house. It gives me a chance to catch up, to rest or just to sit still for a few minutes. Lately, I feel as if I am constantly GOING. Always spinning my wheels, but going nowhere.

Some days I just feel like there is not enough time in the day to get it all done. Sometimes, I just don't have the energy to get it all done. Yes, I would love to wake up to a spotless house, but by bedtime I am EXHAUSTED and I'd rather go to sleep than clean. How is it that I am constantly "doing" but never getting "done"? Sometimes, it feels completely hopeless.

I have been pondering my time a lot this past week and God has revealed to me a few things. Through another blog this week, He gave me a very comforting word: He would not have given me all of these responsibilities, if  He did not think I could handle them. All of the things He has placed in my life are blessings. My children, family, friends, church and home. These things take up my time the most, but they are also my greatest blessings. First and foremost, He has taught me that I need need to remember to be thankful that I have a full and busy life! It would probably be very boring if I was stuck in the house every single day.

Secondly, I need to be in prayer about my time. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to "pray continually". That means all the time! I have already learned to take all of my other troubles to the Lord in prayer, continually. I don't know why it is just now occurring to me to pray about my time. I constantly ask the Lord to guard my children, marriage, family and friends. I also need to be asking Him to guard my time! Time is one of the most valuable things that the enemy can steal from us. This past week, I was completely exhausted. Even though I had been sleeping well, I could barely hold my head up. As the week went on, my schedule kept filling up more and more. I asked God to please take away anything from my schedule that was unnecessary or unimportant to Him. Bang! Two afternoons freed up! Just like that! He really does want us to come to Him in prayer about everything! Even our time.

The third thing is the one I struggle with the most: Prioritizing my time. Why do I have such trouble with this one thing? In 100 years, it will not matter how clean my floors were. It will only matter what I did for HIM. There is nothing that should take precedence over prayer and study of the Word. Sadly, with everything, else going on, this often gets pushed to the side. That HAS to change.

I want to ask all of you to please pray for me as I am re-prioritizing my life and I will pray for all of you, too! I pray that each one of us will remember that time is a gift and we are to be good stewards of it. Be on guard against the enemy bringing unnecessary distractions into your life.

Thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their day to read this! Your support means so much to me! :)

Come As You Are

I have to confess something. It is very scary to write this blog. I still have not gotten over the nervousness of putting it out there. I feel completely unworthy to be writing it. I fear that someone will think it’s stupid. I fear that people will judge me. Someone who doesn’t know me well may think it’s just for show. Someone who knows me too well will think I have no right, considering all of my many past mistakes. I feel like I am completely inadequate. How can I send out these messages when I have no formal education in this area? I have only been studying the Bible in depth for a few years. That definitely does not make me an expert. My main fear is that I will in some way damage the message that I am trying to bring. It is scary!

Just when I think I should probably delete the whole thing and pretend it never was, I remember:  I wouldn’t need Jesus if I was perfect. And if I didn’t need Jesus, then I would have no reason to write this blog. I am only trying to tell the story of what He has done for me. Also, Jesus didn’t come to earth for the blameless. He came for the broken. 

I am reminded of the story in Matthew, when Jesus called Matthew to be a disciple. Matthew was a tax collector. In those days, tax collectors were greatly despised. They were corrupt and often took advantage of the people. When the Pharisees saw Jesus having dinner at Matthew’s house, with Matthew and other sinners, they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” To this Jesus replied, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” That is right! If I wasn’t a so sick from sin, I wouldn’t need Him, the Great Physician. 

I am also reminded of the great men in the Bible. David was a murderer and adulterer, yet God said that he was a man after His own heart. Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, says himself that he is “chief among sinners.” There are many more examples, but these are the two that come to mind first.

If God can use these men to do great things, then surely He can use me to write a little blog. And I honestly do feel that He is leading me to write this, as strange as that may sound. 

So, today my message is that when you feel God calling you to do something, don’t hold back. Don’t let your past be an excuse. Don’t let your fear hold you back. Don’t let your sins make you feel unworthy. Don’t even let the busyness of life stop you. (For each blog post I write, I am interrupted an average of 30 times by children and the phone!) You definitely don’t have to be perfect for God to use you. He can use ANYBODY that is willing. Come just as you are! Say “Yes, Lord!”, even it is the scariest thing you have ever done.

Never Stop Growing!

It seems lately I am reminded more and more of how far away I am from where God wants me to be. He is constantly reminding me that He desires more from me. However, I am also learning that I cannot go where He wants me to as long as I am holding on to things that are not of HIM. It would be so much easier to find contentment in where I am at, but I know I was made for more. As a Christian, I should never stop growing. There is always room to grow. God's Word is alive. It is RELEVANT and It always has a message for us if we are listening.

 Lately, It has been telling me that I need to GROW. It is also telling me I have got a lot of issues and hangups that I need to get rid of if I am going to grow. Our natural tendencies are not of God. As humans, we are suspicious, envious, needy, judgmental, selfish, impatient, critical, angry, gossipy, deceitful, sometimes we even delight in seeing others fail. However, Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are qualities that all Christians should possess. Unfortunately, I fall short quite often.

In Romans 7:15 Paul says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do." I can totally relate! In verse 18 he says, " ..I have the desire to do what it is good, but I cannot carry it out." Ditto! I don't want to have these bad feelings and habits. I really want to be good! But, in my natural self, it just isn't possible.

The good news is that we are not alone in this fight of good vs. evil. We cannot be good on our own, but Jesus has given us the ultimate tool against evil. His Spirit. Jesus is the only perfect one, but if we study His Word and desire to keep growing as Christians, His Spirit will guide us and help us to be more like Him.If I will do my part, His Spirit will help me with the rest.

It is not going to be easy, but I do have the choice. Everyday, I have the choice to make. Who am I going to give glory to on this day? Will I choose prayer over gossip? Will I lash out or will I have patience with those that hurt me? Will I be envious or happy when good things happen to others? Will I be judgmental or understanding? Will I be selfish or giving? The choices we make everyday are endless, but if we seek to grow as Christians, we must learn to make the right ones and get rid of our natural sinful tendencies.

Thank You, Lord for creating in me the desire to do more for You! Thank You for convicting me when I am not in Your will. Thank you for the people that You have placed in my life who offer encouragement. Thank you for a wonderful pastor, church family, teachers and Bible study leaders. Thank you for Christian friends and family who can sympathize with me and give me support when I need it. Thank you for all of the tools you have given me to live a Godly life. Please help me to use them wisely. Help me to never stop growing in my walk with You! You are so Good!