The Journey of Life: Maturity

For some reason, that word, "maturity", has been coming up many times for me the past month or so. It has been subjects of conversations, sermons, as well as my time with God. Maturity is not a destination, its a journey. Its a process. Its not something we just can obtain by asking, but having to go through the process. Its kind of like when we grow physically. You aren't just going to be 6 foot right away. Its a gradual process. You first are like 19 inches long, then you move up to 2 feet, 3 feet, etc. until you hit 6 foot. Or like, me, you only reach 5 foot 3 inches :/. Yeah, that's my destination with height. Not that height determines your maturity, but it determines your character. I was having some time with God this morning and I've been pretty anxious about a couple things in my life. Even to the point, I cannot get much sleep. I was reading about "Wives" in 1 Peter 3:1-6 and it talked about wives submitting to their husbands and how wives should be having a gentle, quiet spirit and not having fear. Now, if you know me, I'm a pretty out-going, class-clown, pretty joyful person. Yet, I also know how to get serious when it needs to be. Now, I was thinking for the longest time, "OH MAN! do I have to be this quiet, introverted person!?" NO! God doesn't want you to change your personality, but what He meant is, do not be anxious. Don't be dominant and over-bearing. Just let things happen as they happen. Oh man, is that hard for me. Yet, to be honest, just within this past year or so, I have grown in that area. I have matured. God got me to a place where I could not do anything about my situations except submit to Him and pray. Now, there is something I desire so much in my life and I'm not sure why it's not happening. However, I know its worth the wait. God gave me this analogy today and I would like to share it with you. Legos are a fun, good thing. Every boy at least loves legos. Me, being a girl, I loved legos as well. I grew up with my older brother playing them and my younger brother is obsessed about them. Now, if you give a baby or a toddler legos under 5 years old, it would not be good for them. They don't know how to use legos and they might choke because they tend to put everything in their mouth. What I'm trying to get at is, legos are not a bad thing. However, you need to be at a MATURE age to use them. Same with how God hold back his blessings or gifts for awhile. They are good gifts and he gives us the desire to have them. However, its important we hit to a point of maturity where we can handle those blessings or gifts. We have to go through the growing pain of reaching maturity. And the journey of growth never stops. Even when you are 80, you are still learning. Don't think teachable moments as a bad thing, but think of it as a growth of maturity. God wants us to grow in the maturity of Christ which then will we be reaping treasures that will never be taken away from us. The more we grow in the maturity of Christ, the more we will live the abundant life He intended us to have and the essence of that is knowing Jesus! That is the biggest reward in life is knowing the Creator of the Universe. I know sometimes, I take that for granted and I get so caught up in what I'm doing, I set that time aside to know Him. I"m guilty of it. However, that is why I'm going to get off now and talk to God for awhile. I hope this encouraged you and shows you that there is Someone who care about you and loves you! Trust Him for He has great plans for you! :)

War

Its been so long since I have blogged and I apologize. I have a new job at my college, Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN (my hometown) as an admission counselor. God totally hooked that up! So I definitely have some good stuff to tell you! ....I just don't know where to begin...HAHA! Anyways, God is just so amazing. This summer has been such an amazing, growing, humbling time of my life. You know those times where maybe things aren't working out, and you don't understand why? Maybe something fell through or you got blamed for something you didn't do (I know how that feels...)? But then later on you realize, "I get it!" That's been my summer. Since I moved back from Kauai, its been tough. Ain't going to lie. My life has changed tremendously. New life, new friends, new place to live. Its been good but hard at the same time. Some friendships are still there, some are lost. However, I trust God has a plan and He definitely revealed that to me lately. I feel like the past 8 months just have been one thing after another. I got to a point when things would go good, I would just be waiting for things to go bad. It was hard for me to have a good perspective. Until one day, I was meeting with my awesome mentor, and I was like, "This is so stupid! Satan is trying to steal my hope and joy!" Joyce Meyer also was a great impact of encouragement. But she was saying how important it is to cover yourself with God's Word. Everyday you are fighting a battle. Physically or spiritually. We need Truth to get through our day. Truth is not a concept, its a Person. And that Person is Jesus! When we do not clothe our self with Him, its like going out in a war zone with no protective gear, no bullet proof vest. Now, how many of us would do that in a war zone, like Afganistan or Iraq? Guaranteed we would be putting 5 bullet proof vests, buckling our helmets, bringing as much ammo as we could! Why do we not do that in our daily life? We are in a war! We are fighting against lies, false accusations, Satan and we need Jesus to get through that. Jesus has overcame death by the cross. The victory is won! However, you choose if you want to be on the winning side. You choose if you want to live a life of victory or a life of defeat. Now, most people think living a life victorious in Christ is rules and no fun. However, if you truly know Jesus, its not! You realize the things of the world are rules, standards, cultural settings that we have to live by in order to fit in. With Christ, we are free of all that. Living a life abundantly in Christ is such amazing freedom! The war is already won, however, you choose if you are partying with Christ or chained-up, losing with the Enemy. Jesus wants you on His side, and He invites ANYONE who is willing to come over. Get to know Jesus. His hand is extended out to you! Its up to you how far you want to go.

Steady my Heart

Have you guys listened to this song called, "Steady my Heart" by Kari Jobe? She is a christian singer but you should definitely look up this song when you get a chance on youtube or whatever. Definitely pay attention to the lyrics. The second verse that says, "I'm not gunna worry. I know that you got me right inside the palm of your hand. Each and every moment, whats good and what gets broken, happens just the way you plan." and then the chorus goes, "Even when it hurts, even when its hard, even when it all just falls apart. I will run to you cuz I know that you are lover of my soul, healer of my scars. You steady my heart." The second verse just hits me. Everytime I listen to this part, even the whole song, it speaks so much truth to me. Seems like lately, things were coming along in my life then..all of a sudden, everything came to a halt! I'm thinking, "Come on, God! Seriously!? I have been waiting so long and now its crumbling?! What did I do now?!" Its not easy to not over-think, to not worry, and to stay calm. Trusting God is not easy! It can be frustrating, shaky, and difficult. However, its all I got. No one, or nothing can give me grace and have me "in the palm of His hands" like the Lord does. When the second verse says, "whats good and what gets broken, happens just the way you plan." I really try to cling to that as truth. God is sovereign and He is in control. I'm not going to lie on here, I have been wrestling with God lately, asking Him, "Ok, God seriously, you are being like every guy in my life, misleading it seems. Give me something here that you haven't forgotten me!" You know when you are watching a baby, or maybe you have a child of your own, and you are making its bottle and its freaking out on you because you set them down and they are crying, thinking you forgot them. You are just making it's bottle. You have not forgotten them! God is doing the same. God's like, "Jessie! Chill out, I'm making the bottle! My plans are in the making..its timing!!" Its hard being patient. Especially how I feel right now, like nothing is happening in my life. I thought I saw some light, but now I'm not so sure what that entails. I thought I had an idea but not sure what to think now. Yes, people are going to hurt you, you might get blamed for things you didn't do, you get misunderstood, but the Lord is going to fight for you! Lately, since things kind of feel like they fell apart for me, I'm thinking, "What did I do?" But the thing is, I confess and apologize for the wrong I know I've done but the rest you have to leave up to God or if it is dealing with another person, you have to leave that up to God and that person. Maybe, like me, you are waiting to hear on a job, or something like that, and it's taking forever! You want this so bad, but we have to trust that God has it! In the chorus of the song "Even when it hurts, EVEN when its hard, EVEN when it all just falls apart, I WILL RUN TO YOU! CUZ I KNOW that you are lover of my soul, healer of my scars." God is the only one that can take care of this. He is the only one that can "heal your scars", heal you from your past hurts and to keep you moving forward. God loves you and He wants His best for you! I don't know why things fall apart but God knows what He is doing and He wants His best for you! Nothing can mess up His plan! The thing is, this is a hurting world, we are all hurting people, we all hurt each other. However, we can choose to join God in forgiveness and kindness. Either way, whatever side you are positioned in, we should forgive and let God take care of the rest. We were probably that person one time before that we were really angry and took it out on a person who wasn't even the root of an issue. I've done that. But if you are a person who got unjustly accused, forgive that person because they are hurting. Jesus calls us to follow Him. Its not an easy road. Its literally denying all our "rights" we think we have as humans and dying to ourselves putting Jesus first and being called to Love. Love is not about fairness. Its about putting others above yourself, keeping no records of wrong, forgiveness, patient. Read 1 cor. 13. Kindness leads to repentance. God is so kind, I am led to my knees to repent by how awesome his grace is. I am a sinner and I need Him. Though, I may not understand God's ways..and I may get frustrated at times, I may question what He's doing and get mad...but at the end of it, I have no right, no reason, for Him to say He does not love me, because He gave up the most precious thing, His Son, to die on our behalf. How many of us would even give up our dog or our playstation, for another? Exactly! God gave up His ONLY SON! God loves you. He is NOT out to get you when things go wrong. He doesn't just hate you. He loves you! And once His best for you! Just trust He will lead you, defend you, help you, guide you! But most of all, trust Him that He loves you!

Something Beautiful

Its amazing how when in life, things can look so dark and dreary. There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel sometimes. Have you ever been, maybe on a hike and it just seems forever and you are thinking, "Where is the falls?" or "Where is the treasure!?" perhaps? When I was living on Kauai, we hiked the Hanakapia Trail. We hiked 6 miles to the falls and I'm thinking, "Geez, are we there yet?!" Six miles seemed forever, but it was so worth it! One of the most beautiful things I've seen in my life. Our trials seem so long most of the time. It seems uncertain and shaky. However, when we finally reach the light that we thought would never see, the journey becomes beautiful. Something beautiful God wanted to do in our life to bring us closer to Him. And when He draws us closer to Him, that is the most beautiful thing! When we are able to get in His presence, no where is better! I take that for granted many times. I was at a young adult group and someone said, "I know a guy who never missed his quiet time with God in 22 years!" I was thinking, "Oh snap!" How many times have I just gotten lazy and rather do or think about other things rather than spend some daily time with God. I mean think about it. In a romantic relationship, we would want to spend all the time we could with them! When that boy is coming to pick you up at 6pm, or when you are going to pick that girl up at 6pm, you are getting stoked to see that person! Why can't I get to that point with God? I get there sometimes, but not all the time. Its not that I don't like spending time with God because when I do it, I never regret it. However, its important to make it the number one priority. God gets so stoked to see us at "6pm". He can't wait to pick us up and go on that date! Why is it so many times I stand Him up? I guess this is really hitting me, now. Jesus says in John 5:19-20, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these." Jesus saw what the Father was doing because Jesus actually took the time to let God show him what He was doing. All this in saying is we shouldn't just come to God when we are going through a hard time. We should always be in communicating with Him to know Him more. Then through that growing relationship, will we know our purpose here in this life. I'm so convicted right now. I get so caught up in my daily tasks and relationships that I don't always make time for the most important relationship...Jesus. Thanks be to God I have been convicted! Here it is, folks! Evidence of the Holy Spirit working in a believer! God's grace is so good and so sufficient! Don't underestimate it, just go for it!

In the secret of His presence..we are restored

Can you think of a time you went to meet maybe an old friend you haven't seen in awhile? Maybe it was weeks, going on months, maybe even years! When you sat down and talked to this friend...it might of felt a little awkward but when you decide to let loose and tell them how much you missed them, the conversation just flows? I don't know if some of you ever had that experience. I had it with a few friends, however, that just recently happened between God and I. From my last posts, I was maybe sounding like a "Debbie-Downer". Yeah. That's true, I was. I was going through a depression. I see some light now. Depression comes and we can choose to let it go. It doesn't matter if its been one day or years for depression..it comes, but we can choose to let it go. Depression is NOT from God. I don't think we realize that depression is one of Satan's greatest tricks to turn us away from God. Do you know you are a treasure to God? When He looks at you, He sees a beautiful treasure beyond what we can see! Think of the most prettiest Christmas lights ever, or the most prettiest diamond necklace ever...now, times that by infinity!!! Yeah, thats what I thought..unbelievable, yea? Well, keep your jaw up because its true! God sees you like that! I have been in a funk lately, but when I decided, key word..DECIDED, to spend some time with the Lord, there He was waiting for me. He never once did not show up nor turn His ear. When I decided to hear what He had to say, I was filled with joy. Now, joy isn't necessarily happiness, but its a hope. A hope that shows you, "there is light at the end of the tunnel". With God, that is true in EVERY situation. I don't care what is going on in your life, God is BIG, POWERFUL, and can take care of ANY situation. Lie: We have to take care of it on our own and that God is just a fairytale? That is BULL!!! Don't believe it! If you choose to, then good luck..which luck does not exist..its blessings and those come from the Lord, so I suggest to turn to Him. We all been there and we go there sometimes, thinking we got it on our own. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." You can do all things through who? Christ!! NOT.."I can do all things." I think sometimes we can drop the last part "through Christ WHO.." what?..."strengthens me!!" He gives us strength! Just ask! We gotta ask! God is the perfect gentleman. He isn't going to force Himself on you if you don't want Him. But He is always there for you when you fall and you cry out to Him, like the babies we are. HAHA! You got a Daddy that loves you! Talk to Him. Let Him sit you up on His lap and talk to you! We all need it at ANY age!

Fight the good Fight!

I haven't been feeling myself lately. I think everything for me is just coming to the surface. Everything I tried to pat down and cover up, is all coming out. Definitely the thoughts I have been having are not me. Not what I ever thought of before. A lot of anger and hurt is coming out. But I know the Lord wants me to deal with it. I try to just put a band-aid on it to not see that the hurt is there. But the Lord sees the hurt, and he wants me to be healed. In that case, I have to go through it, not over it.
Just because we cover things up, does not mean its not there. I never knew what my mentor meant when she said, "when the pain comes, let it come." Now, I know. It is not fun. To be honest, the feelings is hopelessness. You feel alone, you feel like you can't see anything..that there is no way out. It even is harder to come to God because you feel ashamed for all the wrong thoughts and acts you have done in the pain. BUT...those are lies from Satan. It is so important we catch those lies. And believe me, it can be hard when you already feel beat to the ground. The biggest lie is that "you can never come to God, now" <----THAT IS A LIE!!! NEVER for one second, as hard as it is, to give into that LIE. I was believing that lie this past weekend, and it was so hard, but I had to use every ounce in me to pray. Fight that lie back with as much anger as you already have by clinging to Jesus. In 1 Tim.6:12 it says, "Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses."
Satan attacks those who are a threat to him. So if you are getting attacked like I am, we are threats. God wants to use us for big things and Satan knows it! But we have to know "the same power that raised Jesus from the dead also lives in us." (Rom.8:11) God will fight our battle if we just cling to Him. Any negative thoughts we have about God, are from Satan. No matter how true it feels, its not..Satan is a deceiver!
I want to encourage all of you are are going through a tough time, we may not see anything right now but we gotta know God's cookin something. He hasn't brought us in the kitchen yet..but it is coming! Just like a baby, we can be, who is screaming for food in the other room..they can't see it! Until they realize, after the mother brings it to them, it was being prepared all along.

Never Look Back

How many of us look back at our life thinking, "Oh, if I would of done this..." or "Why did this happen?" or maybe you are stuck on something in your past that you just can't seem to get over. Maybe something traumatic happened to you or maybe its something that you can't seem to forgive yourself. Basically, you just keep re-reading chapters in your life. I know I do! We all do. I heard an interesting quote today.."You can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one." What Satan likes to do is keep us stuck in something that blocks us to move forward. The feeling of guilt is from him. Guilt is a feeling that is like sticky glue. It keeps us where we are at. Conviction is from the Lord. It shows us what is wrong and then is that blade to get us off of the wrong and to get us back on our feet. Satan likes to twist conviction and guilt. Conviction keeps us moving, it spurs us. Like cowboys kick horses in the side to get them moving. It spurs them onward to their destination. For us, that would be learning and growing. Guilt pounds us to the ground where we do not move.
Do you know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? If you take a look at Genesis 19, it talks about God destroying this city that is SOO sinful. This just came upon me now and I wanted to blog about it because I believe the Lord wanted me to share this revelation. Take a look at Gen.19. When God was destroying the city, Lot and his wife and daughters, along with Abraham and his family, were told to flee and to not look back. Well, Lot's wife looked back and she became a "pillar of salt" (vs.26). Lot's wife looked back to what would be the past. When we keep dwelling on the past, we become this "pillar of salt". We are indwelling ourselves with past situations that we are like stone looking at them. God has so much to He wants to accomplish through you that in order to let Him do that, we have to give control over to Him and NEVER LOOK BACK. We all did things we regret, we all messed up. We STILL mess up, but that doesn't stop God from doing what He wants to do. Maybe some of us feel, and I feel this way, too sometimes, that we screwed everything up and its like, "how do we get back on track now? I was suppose to do this, this, and this and I didn't. So I missed out!" Do not believe now God is going to give you second best. He is going to give you a new best. He knew before you were even created what choices we were going to make, what mistakes we would make. This goes for me too, but the Lord has control. Let Him be God and stop trying to fix your past. He has a plan, and he knew that stuff was going into play. Let him call the plays in your life.