Desires Of Your Heart -Handled The Right Way

We all have desires, and our heart is the “New York” of them.

How can we handle our desires the right way? A God honoring way?

Hannah, from 1 Samuel, gives us great insight on how we can handle the desires of our heart. Though painful, there is great purpose.

Lets take some time to see what Hannah did with the desires of her heart.

1. Open and vulnerable

” Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. ⁴ Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. ⁵ But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.” – verses 1-5 –

Hannah’s husband knew of her struggle, and most importantly, God did too. She was open about it, so much so that her physical state reflected it; though we will get into that later. It’s not easy to be open and vulnerable about what is really on our heart. Hiding away is easier than having everyone know. Yet, notice this too, trusted people knew. While other people knew about it, only a few actually knew how she felt about it. If Elkanah didn’t know about his wife’s struggle, would he have given her a double portion? There is great blessing in sharing with others what we are struggling with. Hannah was open and vulnerable, but not unmovable. Because God knew, and she gripped that tightly.

2. Knowing didn’t Keep her from coming

When you know that the grocery store doesn’t have the certain kind of chocolate you like, do you still go to that grocery store looking for chocolate? No!

Even though Hannah knew that God had closed her womb, that didn’t keep her from coming and praying. Her desire to have kids was strong, and only God could handle that strong desire.

Whether your sitting there with tears in your eyes or your hands in fists, something about telling God what you know seems impossible… can satisfy even the deepest longing.  

AND STILL…

” Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. ⁷ This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. ⁸ Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” – verses 6-8 –

Though she was in this state of pain, she kept coming; much of what we covered above. She knew of the rival, but she knew well of her God. The rival could irritate and bug, but her God could heal and listen. He was more important. Can we say the same?

4. A desire committed to the Lord

” Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. ¹⁰ In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. ¹¹ And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” – verses 9-11 –

Though I am jumping the gun here, I thought I would share: I find the word “once” in this context to be quite humorous. Why? That’s like saying I would never live on a farm, and then one day you end up owning one. If “once” doesn’t reveal the great unknown of Gods plans, than I don’t know what will. The thing is this, whether it was “once” or never, Hannah was always in the position to receive. She came to the Lord always, so she was ready for this “once” time.

She committed her desire to the Lord. People knew her struggle, but did many know her desire as much as the Lord did? She “wept bitterly”, does not the Lord see us when we do the same? Her desire for the Lord’s will was greater than her desire for a child. Her destiny wouldn’t be determined by the fulfillment of her desire, but by the disposing of her desire to the Lord. We don’t know how Hannah lived the rest of her day. Was she grumpy at the market? That we don’t know, but what God included in His word, is that she came to Him with what was on her heart. See how important it is to not let the desire rule your heart, but to let God rule over your desires?

5. I don’t care who’s watching

“As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. ¹³ Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk ¹⁴ and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

¹⁵ “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

¹⁷ Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” – verses 12-17 –

The posture of her heart as she prayed was displayed in her physical posture. She kept on praying, despite what she looked like on the outside. Half of the time my face blushes simply praying at a restaurant! How much more, Hannah, praying so hard and genuinely that Eli thought she was drunk? What a sight!

I find myself wandering why Eli made that comment, I mean He was a priest wasn’t he? Had he never prayed like that before? He didn’t say much to Hannah when he left, but what he did say was enough. Did God work in both of their hearts even though Hannah was the one with heartache?I certainly do wonder!  We do know that Samuel eventually took Eli’s spot.  We came into this wanting to learn from Hannah, but what can we now learn from Eli? Think about it. God called him out when Hannah replied, Eli then replied with encouragement instead of criticizing. 

6. Some things do come true

“She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

¹⁹ Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,^[b] saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.” – verses 18-20 –

“Then she went her way and ate something”.

I find that to be very surprising. When experiencing any kind of heartbreak or anything of that matter; eating, doing the simple of tasks, seems foreign. Yet, Hannah experienced something new. A sign? Maybe not, but nonetheless she fed the hope by eating; physically fulfilling. We should really try to “eat something” amidst our hurting heart.  It’s “doing the next thing” as Elizabeth Elliot said. Did you know that God’s Word is our “spiritual food” (1 Peter 2:2) ? We should start there.

“Early the next morning”

Have you ever been so excited about something for the next day that waking up early is no problem? I get that vibe from Hannah here as she gets up early to worship the Lord. Notice that this time there is no crying, this time there is worship. I love that. She even went to worship before she went home. She went to the Lord in the morning, because she probably knew that there could be temptation at home. Was it that God really forgot Hannah? I asked my Pastor about this, and he put it this way…

“The use of the word “remembered,” in this context, is actually like a Hebrew figure of speech.  God doesn’t “forget” anything, of course.  What it means is that God “called her request to mind and acted according to His will” which then means that God heard her prayer and responded to her prayer with a “yes”…causing her to become pregnant…but, it was God’s pre-determined will for this to happen from eternity past.” 

We end this group of verses with this; “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

Her desire was true, godly, and not sinful. Why? Because it was a desire that didn’t contend with Gods will, but rather continued it. She gave her desire to the Lord, and she left it at that. She would be content even if she didn’t get a kid. Notice that she worshiped even before her husband made love to her. Was it there that we see her contentment in Christ and in His will for her? So, when God did bless her with a child, Samuel, her mind went directly to Christ!

What can we take from Hannah and her life? How she surrendered her desires to the Lord? I encourage you to think on these things. I’m in this with you dear reader:)

With Christ like bubbling love,

Julia

Let The Countdown Begin.

Countdowns. Welcoming the New year, or unleashing the runners; letting the races begin. Countdowns built momentum; get you excited. I’m feeling the countdown air today, and really not just for today but for the rest of May and end of June. The countdown to get off these crutches, that God has graciously given me. He also directed my steps to step on a tennis ball, tearing my medial meniscus, (via injury in Decemeber due to baskatball) a partial torn ACL, and something with a ligament…I’m not sharp on my medical terms. All of that lead to a mark on the calender on May 9th, with the words “surgery”.

I now look at 3 weeks, as of today, on crutches. I have been tempted many times to ask God, “why?”, and many times it does slip out. I start to mumble, grumble, and throw myself a pity party. I have been clinging to a verse in this season of my life. Something Moses wrote in Psalm 90.

“Teach us to number our days,
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

 Relent, Lord! How long will it be?
    Have compassion on your servants.
 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
    that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
    for as many years as we have seen trouble.
 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
    your splendor to their children.” – Verses 12-16 –

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom….Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.”

I can just see it. Moses, writing this Pslam, with the reality of the wilderness right outside where he was pearched. His pen doesn’t stop, he rememebers….He remembers God’s faithfulness. It’s like if he could sum up the many years in the wilderness, this Pslam would parallel that.

So I am striving to number and not mumble over these days that God has humbled me. Numbering brings about a sense of purpuse, mumbling pays no attention to how God is working.

How would one even catagorize when one reaches days of being humble? when we reach days of complete dependence on God? Isn’t that everyday? Tody we can start to number, not just a certain day that we think may start our suffering. Numbering helps us to better name our suffering “This is from God and He will use it for His glory.”

So, I am calling this countdown of mine, “Days of humbledge”. A mix of “humble” and “pilgrimage”….is that not what it is? A journey through the wilderness like Moses and the Israelites? Though, like I had mentioned before, everyday should be our days of “humbledge” until Jesus returns.

Joseph, the one falsey accused of sexual assult and put into prison and many other things, could’ve easily mumbled over all of the days spent in places he didn’t deserve. Yet, he is a great example of how he numbered his days. He even named them too…

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. ” – Genesis 50:20 –

He named them days that “God meant for good.” Is that not what God is doing right now in your life?

Will you join me, as I number these days of “humbledge”?

With Christ like bubbling love,

Julia

“Demoloshing The ‘If Only I Had Said’ Pity Party”

If only I had said this

Lord, why couldn’t you have given me the words to say here?

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Has this been you? I know it has been me. The “if only” statements that leave us boiling in the pot of doubt and quite frankly, self pity. I could add to this list one more statement…”But Lord I prayed about this, for a long time, why did it end this way?”

We put God on the hot seat, sweating and trembling in the process. What comfort can we draw when we find ourselves in these situatins. When we ask God, “why couldn’t you have just given me the words to say, then it would be different!” “If only” “if Only” “if only”….what? I’m afraid most times we don’t know, but God has a plan for everything. And our friend Moses, who was not confident in his speaking, gives us some insight into our “if only” thinking habits.

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Moses reacts as many of us do, reluctant, doubting, yet with those things, is always the small glimpse of hope; can God really do what He has called me to do? God calls, and He calls confidently. When God has called you He won’t turn away when you first say no, or the second time, or the third time….you get the picture. He pursues with passion and purpose.

” Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” – Exodus 4: 10 –

We can draw many conclusions from Moses’ reply:

One of which is this, does God not already know Moses’ dissability to speak? Was God oblivious to this? No, in fact God made Moses that way! So wouldn’t that have been a red flag to God? A “dont choose me I am not good at speaking” kind of red flag? No, God doesn’t look for the red flags but the white flags of surrender, raised by us. Death “to self”.

The second thing, God doesn’t change the fact that Moses can’t speak very well, yet he does make Moses change his view of Him. Sometimes its not that God needs to change the way He made us, but that we need to change our view of Him. God doesn’t say that He healed Moses of his speaking dissability (though He very well could’ve), He simply told Moses of His power.

Here is God’s response…

” The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind?Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” – verse 11 –

It’s not about Moses, it’s about God. We need to remember that!

Thirdly, God doesn’t answer to Moses’ pity party, but to what He had purposed long ago. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t cave into our pity parties? Not alway something we will easily say yes too, all too often we wish our tantrums would do the trick to persuade God to change His plans. Yet, as we talked about before, God won’t change His plans, but He does intend to change us.

And “fourthly”, if God promised Moses that He would give him the words to say, why should Moses have to second guess that the words he will say will not be enough? When we faithfully ask God to help us and to give us the words to say will He not give us exactly that? Will what we say and not say still work out for God’s glory? I remind you and myself what God told Moses, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute?”

What a promise this is to us! God will give us everything we need, including the words to say. We have no need to ask ourselves and spend hours thinking “did I say the wrong thing?” “Did I say too little?”

Something To Remember

Though do not think that when we go astray God will not be just and not set us straight, He will do all those things. Sin is Sin, it is wrong, we are greiving the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30 ) when we do sin. So, remember, the devil wants us to sin even when we have prayed about whatever “it” is for a long time. The more we pray the more Satan wil “prey”. Resist him(James 4:7 ) , and hold on to the hope we have in Christ. He will forgive, but first we must repent.

Also this, moses took God for His Word. He seeked God after each step. Thats why Exodus 33:11 says, ” The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Don’t just pray once and never again, pray and continue to pursue God through prayer.

” Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. ⁷ I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ⁸ And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”

Moses didn’t spend hours after he said this thinking, “Oh no, did I say the right thing?” No, He trusted God, and we need to follow suit.

This seems too long Lord?!

This seems to be far from the point!

This won’t do the trick!!

These were all things Moses could’ve said.

And God whispers, “you asked, I will help, not always in the ways you would see fit.” We must trust and remember that God works ALL things out for our good! (Romans 8:28 )

May we remember Christ our Savior as we enter into this week!

With Christ like bubbling love,

Julia

A Surrendered Thought Life.

My thoughts have always been my biggest drawback. When I was younger I went through stages of “servere” second guessing, guiltiness, and “bad” thoughts. If thougths were a person, they would’ve walked all over me wearing their hiking boots.

If I could’ve just grasped what commiting every little thing to Christ meant, then maybe I wouldn’t be struggling as much now. This is not the way we were created, to hold everything in, to keep things to ourselves. Yet, I thought the complete opposite. I thought that thoughts were MY probem, MY issue. But really it is a pural person issue. A “God and you” issue.

How can we have a surrendered thought life? How can we learn to take the thoughts that we have and use them to glorify God rather that be confess, the strength to move on, to go up to somene and ask for forgiveness,etc.

A surrendered thought life starts with a life surrendered to Christ. Get your white flag ready.

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” Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6 –

A bold start. Comitting everything to Christ, little things and big things. Prayer, our communication with God! Actively doing this, talking to God, will help us to actively fight thoughts of ours that go against what the Holy Spirit is helping us fight against. Prayer is an act of surrender, you are surrendering your thoughts, worries, anxiety, hopes, dreams, etc., to a God who sees beyond what we can. Prayer also helps us fight temptation, the “spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

” Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” – Matthew 26:41 –

Heart Mind and Soul

A power triplet is what is displayed here. Three things that can be the deciding factor of a thought life surrendered or a thought life shattered. It seems alsmost impossible to follow God with our heart, mind, and soul, yet it is more pausible than impossible. God provides us a way to ignite these things in our life, the Holy Spirit. A surrendered thought life understands the power of the Holy Spirit and the importnce of these three things singing in perfect harmony. A heart that hears God’s Word, a mind that goes beneath the surface of God’s Word and goes deeper in their love for God, and a Soul that knows where their hope is found, Jesus Christ. Not only that, but a heart that is sensitive to what God is sensitive to. Ultimatley becoming more like Christ.

” You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13 –

” You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” – Deuteronomy 6: 5 –

A Mind That Thinks of “God Things”

” Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].” – Philippians 4:8 –

Wow! God wants us to think of “honorable” “wholesome” things? Then why is my mind so easily tricked into thinking the opposite things. Many times I firmly believe God has a list of things that we humans have made to complicated, that being our thought life. This is the promise we have as believers that no matter what we are going through, as believers, we can think of “these things”. These are not “good things” but “God things”, because in circumstances rimmed with hurt and pain, “good things” don’t amount to the “God” that is in control of it. May we want “God” more than the “good.” May our surrendered thought life be full of thinking of “these things”, not because it’s easy but because our God, who does good, wants us to do so.

Steadfastness

” You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
   because they trust in you.” – Isaiah 26:3 –

Steadfastness; resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering (Google dictionary)

“Firm” and “unwavering”, is this me? Is my mind the result of steadfastness, because my time in God’s Word is the result of my love and devotion for Him? The more steadly we read God’s Word the more steadfast we will be in His truth. Our thoughts and emotions have no match for a mind and heart that are steadfast in God’s truth. Steadfast; that is the goal.

In The Business of Demolishing

” We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ” – 2 Corinthians 10:5 –

I don’t want you to just read this verse,but really read this verse. Visualize it. Picture this; you, with a hammer, physically taking the thoughts from your mind and crushing them under the weight of the hammer. Demolish, were not talking about saving anything here. We as believers are in the business of demolishing thoughts that don’t glorify God. Are your hands evidence of your hammering? Or are your hands clammy from holding these things?

Waging War With the After Effects

We will fail, we are sinners. Out thoughts and emotions will make us surrender to them. It is important to remeber these things. God forgives and he strengthens, He is merciful and just, and He also is loving and gracious enough to forget. Here are some verses to meditate on:

” Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead….” – Philippians 3:13 –

“forgetting what is behind”, yes it happened move on in God’s freedom and forgiveness.

” The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness. ” – Lamentations 3:22-23 –

It’s a new day, God means for it to be that way!

” Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting. ” – Psalms 139: 23-24 –

Repent and ask for forgiveness, moving on will be impossible without this step.

Meditate and Remember

” Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ” – Joshua 1:8 –

Nothing else more to say. The more God’s Word is on our mind the more we can be steadfastness in God’s truth. What an amazing cycle we have entered ourselves into! But my, do I need a lot of work in this area.

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I hope that these points have encouraged you to live a surrendered thought life. How can we, each day, put these things into practice? Write them down somewhere, get our minds thinking! Praying for you!

With Christ like bubbling love,

Julia

Do It Again.

How is it that one can finally sit down and appreciate the Christmas lights when Christmas is finally over? How is it that the game seemed to be for the right team, until there comes a buzzer beater? How is it that one can pray for something their whole lives, but when it actually happens question God?

Friends, I find myself in at least one of these scenarios. Maybe you do to. Even though Christmas is slowly sliding itself back into the attics, basments, and storage closets, God’s Word does no such a thing. Remember Zechariah and Elizabeth? The mother and father of Jesus’ cousin, John? Well, we have something more to learn from their scenario!

” But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son, and you will name him John.  He will bring you joy and gladness, and many people will be happy because of his birth.  John will be a great man for the Lord. He will never drink wine or beer, and even from birth, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. ” – Luke 1: 13 –

Your telling me that Zechariah was praying for a child most of his life?

God doesn’t forget, nor misplace the things that we tell him. Zechariah may have forgotten about this request, but God hadn’t. Yet, when God answers Zecharahs, possibly long awaited prayer, Zecharaih responds in disbelief!

” Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that what you say is true? I am an old man, and my wife is old, too.” – verse 18 –

What happened to a Zechariah who prayed with hope, who prayed with a hope that God would do it again? The Pastor at my Church made the point that Elizabeth and Zecharaih would’ve heard of Abraham and Sarah way back before them. That means they had proof that God could do the impossible!

Look how Elizabeth responds to the news of her being pregnent…

” Later, Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and did not go out of her house for five months. Elizabeth said, ²“Look what the Lord has done for me! My people were ashamed of me, but now the Lord has taken away that shame.” – verse 24 –

Elizabeth didn’t ask questions, she praised God. Does this reflect how her prayer life was different from Zechariah’s? I think it does! She prayed believing that God would “do it again!”

What a testment our dear friend Elizabteh is to our current circumstances. Do we pray dilligently, even to our “old age” of 16 years (or however old you are) past trying to believe that God has heard our cries? If we trust that God will build his kingdom, then you can trust that were you are now is not against you. Nonetheless John was born, and nonetheless…God “did it again”. He made the impossible possible. Yes, Zechariah may have become silent….but what we learned from the 7 day study, silence doesn’t mean God isn’t working.

The words “DIA” are imprinted on my wrist at each game that I have. It is a reminder that God will do it again. Even if losing comes before it, I believe that God will do it again…do you? Does our prayer life take after Zachariah’s or Elizabeth’s?

With Christ Liks bubbling love,

Julia

The Beauty of Being “Just Friends”

The phrase that no one likes to hear…well except your parents. 

“Were just friends” which comes with the eye roll and attitude.  

Why can’t we be more then friends? 

Why can’t things just speed up? 

Well, I’m siding with the loving parents for this post, and saying that there is great beauty to be found in “just being friends”.  Yes, your parents still love you even when they make you “just be friends”! 

The dating scene in today’s world is…well confusing, skewed, and very much so based on feelings and seasons.  While this system of thinking and dating is very much something the world participates in, we as believers can stand out even more  with how we approach dating and relationships.  

“so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky…” – Philippians 2: 15 – 

What’s the beauty in “just being friends?” Well, I have a few reasons for you:) 

1. Friends in the beginning, friends at the isle

a lot of people say that when you get married you are marrying your best friend!  And well, this supports our claim excellently!  When you get to know the person you are interested in on a friendship level you are welcoming them to be themselves….to be friends with them!  When you build that friendship relationship with them before you walk down the isle, and before you even start dating, then how much easier will it be to be friends  when you are dating and when your married? The relationship you build as friends is a relationship you can build even stronger when you get married. 

        2.  Leaves no room for hurt

When you keep it at a friendship level until the right time, you are getting rid of the idea of someone getting hurt.  As the friendship grows you may want to start a relationship, yet if you automatically go into the dating scene the red-flags you may have missed in the friendship scene are more damning.  Your already labeled as girlfriend and boyfriend, and so the chance of there being hurt is greater! Look at being friends as a time to really get to know the other person, if there are red-flags, save yourself from the emotional damage of breaking up, and simply remain friends with that person.  

      3.  Spiritual Growth & Team work 

Personally one of my favorite reasons to not completely ignore “just being friends”.  Hopefully, the one that you are interested in is a believer in Christ Jesus and knows Him as their personal Savior.  Meaning, that he is your brother in Christ.  What I think is simply amazing is that the one you marry is not only your husband, but your brother in Christ! That is one of the reasons why marriage is so amazing! You not only grow with them as your husband, but you can grow with them spiritually!  So, when you are friends with this other person start growing with them as a brother in Christ….this will only deepen if this is the man or women that God has for you! Wow! I love God’s design for marriage! 

Learn to work together with your “friend”, marriage is similar to a team.  God put you two together to grow His kingdom, but also to build up his kingdom.  Learning to work together before you start dating, will help you better work together when you ” become one. “

        4.  Committed to Christ, but not yet fully committed to each other

When you are single you are committed to Christ, and that doesn’t suddenly change when you get married.  When you remain “curious friends” with this other person you are still allowing God to work in the other persons life (you also should do this when your married).  You are encouraging their growth, and if God decides to add you to their story then that will only deepen when you get married.  Ahh! Awesome!  Encourage this person, pray for them, and be content with knowing that before this person is ever in a committed relationship with you, they will always be in a committed relationship with Christ.  Don’t run in front of them distracting them, instead run beside them encouraging them as they go! 

        5. Friends still even if it doesn’t work out…

Not exactly what any of us would wish, but remaining friends when you are not yet ready will prevent anger, strife, resentment,  and sadness if it doesn’t work out.  Have emotional purity in this time, don’t get too attached!  While this person is certainly an option, they may not be the one. Don’t lay on them too much of your feelings unless you have been seeking God, and you are for sure that dating is definitely the next step. 

         6.  Pray, Pray, & Pray Some More

Praying is so very powerful!!  While there is still so much unknown in being friends with someone with the desire to one day be more than friends, there is still so much that is to be known about God.  Focus on Him in this time of singleness, and PRAY BIG!!  Praying never hurts the situation.  The most powerful thing we can do to prepare ourselves for the future is to pray about it. So, pray for your future spouse and even pray for “your friend”

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I hope this encouraged, and brought a new light to your current circumstances.  I hope that walking away from this post your will be refreshed and will greater treasure all of the friends that you have, both man and women.  Yet, be careful with how you present yourself around your guy friends…that will be for another day:) 

With Christ like bubbling love, 

Julia 

To The Single Girl This Christmas Season.

As the Christmas season is quickly approaching, so does the list of “Christmassy” things do with your significant other….

Okay, cool….what about the minority who doesn’t have a significant other?  This post is for you!  My hope is that you will read this and be encouraged, and that this Christmas season will not look too bad for the single girl! May this post resemble a nice cozy mug of hot cocoa on a cold winters day. 

Here We Go….A single girls guide to the Christmas season….

1. Trust God’s Timing

Being single or not being single should not be based on the season that the world is establishing, but the season that God has created for you before the world was established.  Yes, God knows it’s Christmas time, and yes He knows the struggle we may have.  Yet, He also knows that what He has planned is so much greater.  So, you heard it, trust God’s timing.  God’s timing was created before Christmas and the holiday season was ever created.  

     2.  Surround Yourself With People

How are you defining loneliness this Christmas Season?  Many of us are thinking dating relationships? Yet, a better way to fulfill that longing is to surround yourself with your friends, and family!  Instead of pushing yourself out on the dating market just to have a date to that Christmas Party! 

       3.   “Seasonal Love Bug” Be Gone! 

This Christmas season is not about the music, lights, gifts, etc., and it is definitely not about finding your future spouse.  If finding a “man” is something you only think about during the Christmas season, Valentines day, and for summer fun, then do you really have the right mindset for dating?  Is that God’s design for dating and marriage? Simply desiring a “man” for a season?  I mean we wander why we are still in a “single season”! We can’t seem to want  a “man” for longer than a Christmas season! 

So, let’s not get the “Seasonal Love bug”, if we are truly seeking Christs design for life and marriage, we will be open to anytime for God to reveal that special someone….not just the Christmastime. 

        4.  The True Meaning Of Christmas 

With all of the stress of the Christmas season, do we really want to add the search for our future spouse to the list?  Really though, is it about finding your future spouse or is it letting God find your future spouse and letting Him bring him to you?  

Let’s focus on the true meaning of Christmas, God sending His Son to the earth…if your looking for a love story this Christmas, then feast your eyes on John 3:16!!  Even the greatest love story ever told didn’t happen right after sin entered the world…does that shed some light on  waiting for your future spouse?  It wasn’t that God didn’t have a plan prepared, it was that He was waiting to put the plan in action.  So, as for you, it’s not that God doesn’t have a plan and someone for you, it’s that He is waiting to put the plan in action when the timing is right.  

Ladies, God KNOWS what He is doing! We also need to be content if singleness is the life that God has called us to live….even though I say that through clenched teeth! 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  – John 3:16 – 

      5.   Giving To Others Is The New “In A Relationship” 

Christmas time is the time of giving, so you can get that view clogged up when you are so focused on “getting” a boyfriend. We should instead be giving to others, that is what Christ did and He was single all of His days! 

       6.  Take Caution To The Romance Movies!

Yikes, probably the most convicting one for me!! I love me a good romance movie in the Christmas time, and sadly the television and propaganda this season is no help to our cause!  So, as I say this to you and to myself, watch the romance movie, but remember to guard your heart!  If you find yourself watching one, and your thoughts are taken to not so good places, remove yourself and do something else.  Pray and find a verse to read! 

“Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23 – 

        7.   Keep Praying  & Keep Seeking The Lord

This one seems like a no brainier, but we tend to overlook the most crucial of steps! We need to continue to be praying…

• for our future husband
• that God would continue to work in our hearts and prepare us for that season…
• to keep our hearts and minds pure (aka emotional and physical purity too) 

These are just some beginning steps you can take in your prayer life for your future husband.  Just because it’s Christmastime, it doesn’t change the directory of your prayer life. (and that goes for any season of life you enter)

Seek the Lord, and pray that His will be done in your life.  Seeking the Lord in your time of singleness and praying to Him is the greatest thing we can do to prepare ourselves for dating, and even the greatest thing we can do for our future spouse now!  WOW, prayer is so powerful!

Even the greatest love story ever told didn’t happen right after sin entered the world…does that shed some light on waiting for your future spouse? 

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I truly hope this encouraged you, and that it gives you a more clear view as you navigate this season as a single.  Yet, I am learning all the more and more as days go by…that while the desire to not be single is great, the desire to take it slow and really become who God wants me to be in the now is greater!  

Lord willing, this Christmas season will be awesome for us here at God’s Little Breadcrumbs, so stay tuned:) 

Praying for you dear friends!

With Christ like bubbling love, 

Julia 

“You Had Me Walking On Water”

When  I recall the story of Jesus walking on water, Peter following shortly after,  a mix of many emotions come into my mind.  Yet, mostly amazement, comfort, knowing that the same God alive then is the same God now.  There is still so much more we can learn from this amazing moment in history…so lets read on!

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“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.” – Matthew 14: 2-24 – 

Getting into the boat to people who know the ending of the story would seem like a red flag, but to the disciples it was habit.  It is not until we go through the trial that we see what red flags could’ve been for us to not “get into the boat”.  Yet, getting into the boat is the very thing the disciples needed to do so Jesus could walk on the water.  When God sets us up for a miracle we won’t always be comfortable, but sometimes vulnerable…but nonetheless available to God. 

“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come,” he said.” – verses 25 -29 – 

“Come”

Jesus didn’t explain to him the best way to walk on water, how to keep his feet angled, or to not put your wait all on one foot.  He just said “come”.  We have to be content with just a “come”, even when a play by plan doesn’t come with it.

“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” – verses 29-30 – 

It wasn’t only that Peter didn’t trust God, He also didn’t trust where Jesus had placed him.  Sometimes we act similar.  We say God I trust you, but why did you place me in this job, in this family, in this school….and so on.

We will sink when we look at the storm and not at the Savior.  When we act upon what the wind and storm are trying to say, we will sink.  The storm is not acting on it’s own knowledge.  The wind isn’t blowing hard on it’s own account.  They are both under the control of God.

We can’t trust where God ha placed us without trusting Him first.  With our eyes on the Lord, even the eye of the storm knows it limits.

“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” – verse 31 – 

“Immediately”

Not five minutes, or half an hour later.  “Immediately”

Not only is Jesus referring to our doubt in Him, but the doubt we have in where he has placed us.

Sinking doesn’t just come from doubt in Christ, but doubt in where He has put us.

“And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” – verses 32-33 –

How much more are we comfortable with being in the boat, then being in the storm with our Savior?

The title of this post is from NEEDTOBREATHE’s song, “Walking on Water”.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the storm that we forget the fact that God has us walking on water! ON WATER! Did you hear me right? ON WATER!

May we never go so far as to get of the boat and then be afraid because of the storm…God has not brought you this far to abandon you!

He has you “Walking on Water.”

“There’s no turning back
Nothing in the past
My eyes on You again
Can’t see nothing at all
But Your outstretched arms
Help me believe it
Though I falter
You got me walking on water.” 

a little poem to leave you all with….

” ‘Come’ He said, ‘Come’

‘Though the waters rage

and you are afraid

come be who I want you to become

Though the step big

I AM bigger

Though the surface uneven

I will still be living and guiding

Though it be uncertain

I will close that curtain

Just come, Just come

Though you are Peter, I AM your creator.’ “

With Christ like bubbling love,

Julia

 

 

 

 

Pray Big.

I am a dreamer.  Ever since I was little I would dream of things I wanted to do and accomplish.  This is not really the best quality to have but, most of the times my mind is 95% daydream and 5% listening.  Yeah, not the best thing!

So, one day when I was working and I saw this sign that said “Pray Big” my mind did a full 360.  Isn’t it supposed to say “Dream Big” not “Pray Big?”

No, the more  I thought about it the more I saw the glitch in the saying “Dream Big”.  A dream will always be a dream until we pray about it.  Today I don’t want you to dream any less, but I want to challenge you (myself included) to pray even more.

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“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” – Ephesians 3:20 –

I sometimes have a hard time understanding that my biggest dreams, are still small compared to the plan God has for me.  And, yes, where you are now is still apart of His great plan whether we like it or not.

Here is where the question lies…

If God is doing the immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, are we doing the immeasurably more of asking?

If we never ask, if we never pray, we will never know what God has in mind.  Dreaming mules over things.  Pops ideas around in your head for as long as you entertain them.  Only God has the power to create something so small and sustain it.  Only God as the power to keep something alive; that is what prayer does.  We come to God and talk to Him, we ask Him, we thank Him, and we tell Him just how we are feeling.   He keeps “His power that is at work in us” alive until the right time comes to put it into practice.  Praying big keeps our relationship with God “alive.”  We are in constant communication with our Creator; no better arrangement.

Only God is able to keep alive the passion He gives to those who love Him. If we aren’t in constant communication with Him, then our purpose will seem to have no place.

Sounds harsh, but we are created by God and created for His plan and purposes.  Praying Big helps us find that.  Praying big influences dreaming big but dreaming big doesn’t influence praying big…that is why one is before the other.

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Take David for example.  He started of as a shepherd boy but ended up King over Israel. He didn’t dream of concurring Goliath, He knew God was big when concurring Goliath.  The concurring doesn’t come from the dreaming big,  but praying and the asking of God.

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” – 1 Samuel 17 – 

May we never forsake the smallest three stones representing the biggest of prayer.  Grabbing three stones didn’t come from months of dreaming, but months of talking to God.  It wasn’t the dream that killed Goliath it was Davids communication and faith in God that won the battle.

When we pray big we leave room for God to do the imagining.  When we commit each dream and desire to God, He is able to give us the courage to grab three stones instead of a set of armor.  No one ever dreams of killing a giant with three stones, we dream of killing a giant with a sword and dragon.  Yet, the story of David and Goliath wouldn’t have been the same if David used the armor.  We remember this story as great faith,David killing Goliath with one stone.  Praying big doesn’t entertain the greatest way, but the “God way”.  And for David, doing it God’s way ended up being the greatest way.

May we see this story and remember to pray BIG!

With Christ like bubbling love,

Julia

Dear Heavenly Father, You know the desires of my heart and my dreams, and you still look at your predestined plan for me and smile.  Help me to want want you want, and pray BIG; praying more than I do dream.  I love you.  In Jesus’ name I pray….AMEN

 

 

 

Desiring God.

We all have those desires.  Those deep desires that we day dream about during that sermon that seems to drag on, or that teacher that couldn’t be more “monotoned”.  To be honest with you, thinking about what I desire for (in all aspects) gets me through 80% of all of my classes….and I have a feeling I am not the only one.  Desires like; clothes, food, future husband, job, money.   All of these things sit restfully under the huge umbrella called “desires”.  While the one holding the umbrella, stands out in the rain, wondering what to do with these “impostors”. 

Yes, a wild way to describe it, but to know that God sees our desires and implants them in our hearts is not a bad thing to ponder on.  Yet, there is a cautionary sign to take into consideration; how long can desires go on until they become a sin?  Will these desires ever come true?  Where should I place these desires?  Will God really give me the “desires of my heart”? Today we will be answering those questions.

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Desires Concerning Lust and Obsession.

Our desires are God given, but lust is “sin” born and “sin” given.

When our desires go “too far” they turn into lusts and obsessions…this is when desiring something becomes a sin.  Our desires are meant to be pondered upon and prayed about, but when they turn into lust and obsession, they are meant to be “fleed” from.

“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” – 1 John 2:16 –

Will My Desires Ever Come True?

Our focus shouldn’t be if our desires will ever come true, but instead if our desires are true.  The desires we have are not made to be ignored but instead “interviewed”.  Are our desires glorifying to God, or are they based on our fleeting emotions?  So many of us read Psalms 37: 4 with an attitude of what I desire will be fulfilled, yet we are missing a GREAT part of this verse….

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalms 37:4 –

….delighting in the Lord first!  Merriam Webster Dictionary describes delight as this; “a high degree of gratification or pleasure: joy.” The more we gratify and take pleasure in the Lord, the more His desires for our life will become our desires.  Desiring God first, will lead us to have the right desires.  With a desire to know God more, comes a desire to have His desires for your life be fulfilled. We can be sure of this; that we serve a God who knows our desires, and can actually do something about them.  Rather that be fulfill them(no matter how long it will take), or show us something better (no matter how hard that will be).

Where Should I Place These Desires?

Our desires should not be our drive for our every action.  When our desires become our drive, our destination will become less desirable.  Our desires should be placed in someone certain, sure, and strong…Jesus. My tip for you; never stop praying and committing those desires to Christ…He sees, and man does He care.

What Solomon’s Life Shows Us.

King Solomon, in 2 Chronicles 1, gives us a peek into the topic of desires.

“Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.” – 2 Chron. 1: 1 –

A great start for King Solomon for sure, but what makes him even greater is how he went about making his reign great.  He walked with the Lord;  his desires lined up with what God had desired, not only for him, but for the whole nation of Israel.

“That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” – verses 7-10 – 

Solomon’s desires were conjured up when He looked at what God had done, not at what others had done to him.  His desires were true and were asked out of a wanting to know Christ more, and not “how will people know me more, and how will my name become greater.”  His desires reflected a, “how can I better help the people you have put me in charge of, and not how can it better help me” attitude.

“God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” – verses 11- 12- 

And because of all of this God respected his desires and fulfilled them.  When our desires are reflected and produced from a perspective of our abundance in Christ, and properly using and leading the people and things God has put in our lives; then I truly believe, with prayer and seeking the Lord, He will make them happen.

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Desires are not to be overlooked…they are included in how God made us!! Yet they come with caution but also with joy.  Seek God and commit all of your desires to Him…no matter how small.  If our desires match up with God’s will for us then they will come true.  Yet, if you are not seeking God’s will, then your desires won’t either.  

Dear Heavenly Father, My desires can sometimes get the best of me.  I pray that your desires for my life will become my own. I commit all of my desires and dreams to you, and I ask that you will help me keep my mind on you.  Help me to desire you above all else.  In Jesus’ name I pray…AMEN

With Christ like bubbling love,

Julia