This is Me & My Life Right Now :)

Fireproof...?

Okay, so let me just say that for those of you that haven't seen the movie Fireproof (by Sherwood Pictures) you are MISSING OUT!!!!  They are the same people that put on the movie Courageous:)

But what is my point in talking about this movie?  Well, in this movie, it's about a fireman that saves people from fires but is letting his own marriage burn to the ground.

Until, that is, he sees that marriage is a covenant between one man & one woman FOR LIFE, and how could he go & save people he has never even met while letting his wife & him drift apart?

I know you will cry when you watch this if you have a heart at all, but what I love about this movie is that not only does it show how one man decides to fight for his wife even when she was rejecting him & wanted divorce,

But it's a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL picture of how 'God demonstrated His OWN love toward us WHILE we were yet sinners...'  Jesus comes to us in the fire & wraps His loving arms around us & pulls toward safety, even though we rejected Him & DIDN'T WANT His help & His love, we wanted our own way,

He came & demonstrated His love for you anyway.


Doesn't matter that you were rejecting Him, spitting in His face, hating Him, running from Him.  You were the spouse that "wanted divorce".  Worse than that, in biblical terms, you actually weren't even the Bride of Christ until you got saved,

So before that, you were His enemy.

And yet He pursued you...because He loves you.

And something that the fireman (Kirk Cameron) on Fireproof learns is that LOVE IS NOT A FEELING but a DECISION,

and in marriage, it's FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE.

Sure, emotions are linked with love at first,

But there will come a day when the feelings & romantic/happy feelings are low or even gone altogether,

What then?

That's when true love steps in and preserves...

Is your love fireproof?  Or can it easily be burned up in the trials & hard times of life?

Our cat Sadie had her babies today! Seven little cuties!! :) Life is good!

This is the first kitten we've had that has been all white.  So neat!

I know you may be thinking, "Oh wow, those are some ugly little cats."  Which, to an extent, that's true, considering they sorta look like little rats with their long tails & bony little bodies & their little eyes closed!  But you just wait a few weeks, they will get bigger & cuter!!

But isn't it funny how something as simple & tiny & miniscule as baby kitties can get us so wound up?!  I mean, some of you may be laughin' your head off at me right now and sayin', "Oh wow, Sam!  They're just cats!"

But hang with me for a sec, I have a point I'm tryin' to make here:) 

Yes, in all reality, they are just baby cats, so why am I so excited over them?  Well, I guess you could say that in each of us there is an inborn love & appreciation for life, even the tiniest, seemingly worthless forms of life.  Yet no life is worthless.

And as I write, I am reminded of the French word,  nouvelle vie and also, dieudonne.  

In French, that means, "new life & God-given".  

So what is my point with this thing?  Between the baby kitties & the French phrases, I may have already lost ya!  Sorry if I have!

But my point is, YOU, you are dieudonne nouvelle vie!  (And for those of you that really write French, please forgive my lack of apostrophes!:) 

YOU, my friend, are a God-given, God-breathed miracle, a life, that He has made for His glory.  He loves you SOOO much!

And so, yes!  I am excited about the baby kitties because I am excited about LIFE!!!!!  And I am excited about MY life!!  This life that GOD has GIVEN me as a gift!  And I want to cherish & glory in it, & have joy & IMMENSE bubbling happiness, KNOWING that my life has a purpose & that is to glorify the One who made me!  I LOVE my life!  Praise the Lord!!!
 

Do you see your life as a gift like that?  Or are you throwing it away by begrudging God the way He made you?...

The Journey poem

They try to get it through your head that you're doin' better,

That you're makin' progress,

But all you see is the blood & feel the sharpness of the pain,

They try to tell you that you're gonna be okay,

You nod, but something in your heart doesn't agree,

A year passes,

Two years,

Goin' on three.

There's days that feel like blurs,

Just images, colors, places, faces, no emotion,

You try to take it in,

But you're lookin' on from the outside in,

If you're life was a DVD player,

You feel like you've been on PAUSE,

And no matter what you do or try, you can't figure out how to push PLAY again.

Pain, torment & sadness seem as if they are your only friends,

Even though you see the love on the faces around you.

Your heart is veiled to all joy & love,

Because you've protected yourself for so long,

You've built a wall...and now you can't tear it down no matter how hard you try.

They come to you with truth, with encouragement, but you only hear words,

 Words that touch you just as much as a fairy-tale.

You know there's more,

You WANT more,

You CRAVE for your life to resume back to play,

But you can't reach the play button...

They tell you that's okay...

You don't get it.

For years, you've tried to push it yourself,

But you couldn't.

Now, the strong arms of your friends,

Are lifting you up so you can reach that button,

And push PLAY.


The progress is happening,

Even though you don't see it,

 Your Author of your story sees it.

Just keep breathin',

That's all He's askin',

And keep trustin',

That's all He's askin',

And keep standin',

And when it gets too tough,

He sends them to your side to hold you up,

To be your barricade,

Your angels,

In your time of need.

Your life is a journey,

A journey of progress,

Of failure,

Of scars,

& scuffs,

& pain,

Yet joys,

Yet immense happiness,

Yet deep love,

Yet adventure,

Yet deep victory,

Yet purpose & beauty.


The progress is happening...


It's your journey.

by: Samantha 

Dear Single Friends (part 3)

Hey ya'll!  It's been warmer where I am...FINALLY!!!;)

I will probably end up adding more later... (like a Part 3b :), lol!)
but for now, I wanted to add something that I hadn't put on my other "single friend letters".

The MAIN purpose of marriage is to glorify God, and what's so beautiful about marriage is that IT IS THE HIGHEST EARTHLY EXPRESSION OF THE LOVE OF GOD BETWEEN HIM & US AS CHRISTIANS...!!!

Think about that for a second.  God wants an intimate, deep relationship with you.  He wants ALL of you.  He is a jealous God, He is jealous to have ALL of your heart....sounding a little like when you fall in love with someone??? ;)


I will add more Scripture later...but for now, check out Galatians 5!!!

His lil' work o' art,
Sam

You Gotta Love Who He's Made You

Hey ya'll! It's Sam!

Have you all ever heard the saying, "you gotta love yourself before you can love others"?

Well, that can be taken a very wrong way...but there is some truth to it.  Let me lay it out there like this...

Jesus has a view through which He sees you when you become a Christian.  And the entire point about bein' a Christian isn't that YOU are so good and amazing and that you should love yourself because of those things,

ON THE CONTRARY

what learnin' to love yourself as a CHRISTIAN, from what I understand, ALL that means, is that YOU GOTTA LOVE WHO YOU ARE NOW IN CHRIST.

IN Christ Jesus!! IN is the KEY word!!  Because remember, it's not about YOU and who YOU are in and of yourself, it's about HIM and WHO HE'S MADE YOU NOW AS HIS SON OR DAUGHTER!!!

Praise Him for the gifts He's given you, and love Him!

Who are you IN Him?

Redeemed
Saved
WORTHY!!
Made New
Set Free
Loved
Adopted
Pure
Spotless
Set Apart
Child of God
Beautiful
Safe
Washed
NEW!!!!!!!
Strong
Courageous
Empowered

May the praise of our lips be in grateful joy to HIM for all that He has done, and for WHO He has made us IN Him! 

This is what it means to love yourself...LOVE WHO HE HAS MADE YOU NOW!!  AND give Him ALL the glory and praise!!!

;)
 Comment in the comment box below which attribute touched your heart the most...

love you guys!
His little work of art,
Sam

My Junior Pictures...(lol, we took them a little late!)

Listen Like a Baby

If you come to the point where you don't know WHAT to think,
then simply come to the cross and cling to what you DO know...


"Jesus loves you"

"You're gonna be okay, because He's gotcha' "

"He's your keeper"


Sometimes you just have to shut up the endless questions and voices by listening to one, baby simple truth.

Hey there bloggers!!!

Today is VERY sunny and wonderful!!!

Today I was reading in Ephesians 2 and how God makes YOU ALIVE, though WERE once dead in sin, now you are ALIVE in Christ Jesus!  You are a NEW creation!

Dear You that Struggles with Anxiety,

Dear You that's struggling with anxiety...and it feels like you will never be able to breathe again,


Sometimes, with my extremely crazy STINKIN' OVERTHINKIN' brain, I just need to stop and think logically...

Because really what it boils down to is ME CLAIMING TRUTH AS A  DAUGHTER OF GOD.


You see, before you become a Christian, before I became a Christian, I had a general idea of Right & Wrong, because God writes His Law on each human heart to know that...

But you see, though, yes, I maybe was a good little girl on the outside, on the inside, I was a "white-washed" tomb, and had the potential within me of a little murderer.  Is is that too harsh?  Well, reality is, no, because all of us our sinners and our hearts are utterly wicked & deceitful before Christ comes and sets us free in salvation!!

BUT NOW, as a daughter of Jesus Christ, AND BUT NOW, if you have trusted Him to save you, because by His mercy He showed you that even the "little sins" were worthy of your judgement...

Then guess what you got??

You've got the POWER OF THE LIVING GOD LIVING INSIDE OF YOU!!!!!

You see, I feel like, in fact I KNOW that, a lot of times now as a daughter of God I begin to think...

"Oh no...oh no...okay Sam, here it goes.  This Christian life is up to you to wing it, better get it right.  You don't wanna mess up!"

But that was me BEFORE I was saved!  It was all me wingin' it, and it's only by God's grace that I wasn't worse off, because whew!  It's a scary place to be when you're wingin' it on your own!

But oh the SWEET awesome truth to KNOW that AS HIS DAUGHTER, MY LORD JESUS KEEPS ME, He holds me tight, HE guides my every step, thought, word & deed with His beautiful love He has for me!!

Isn't that a sweet, beautiful picture??


So for you that struggles with anxiety, or is having a tough time reigning in the wild horse of emotion & fear, (because trust me, I've been there...)

CLING TO JESUS, because as His Son or Daughter, YOU ARE SOOO SAFE!!!=)

Love!
Sam

Who's with Me?

Dear Friends!=) Hey there! It's Samantha again,

I wanted to start something that I thought would be really great for whoever would like to join...
Usually it's easy to post just about anything, but I was wondering...what if we started something that was more than just good...but something great?

Which is why I'm starting a Book Discussion for whoever wants to join!

The book is: The Cause Within You (by Matthew Barnett)
I read this a while ago, but recently my Mom just finished reading it (again;) and reminded me just how amazing/inspiring this book is.

Book Summary: "We are all searching for hope, meaning, and purpose in our lives. Yet you might be surprised that you already hold the key to your life's cause--a unique passion & calling that God has designed just for you & placed in your heart.

And you can start living it out today."
So I thought this would be a really awesome book that I could begin (again;) and also see who else is up to the challenge to read it with me,
And would post what takeaways/tidbits you got from it on the comments of this post...

So what d'ya say? Are ya up for the challenge?
Who's with me?=)

Dear Single Friend, (part 2)

Hello again ya'll!
Just wanted to say that I felt like I needed to say that to all my friends that have maybe thought, "Man, what if I've already given myself away?  I've already had sex outside of marriage!  It's too late for me to live for God!"

I understand that reality is, not every person reading this post will have kept themselves physically pure for marriage.  That's just reality, life.  Maybe you were raised in a home that wasn't Christian, or maybe you were and that was the reason you rebelled,

Or whatever.  Let me say this, your past is NOT your destination!  God says that if you "confess your sins, HE IS FAITHFUL & just to FORGIVE you!!!"  (1 John 1)

Today is a new day.  You may have messed up in the past, but that's beside the point.  The point is, you can go to God because the blood of Jesus is ready to wash you of all your sins, and He will wash you of ALL your impurities and you can begin to live for Him today:)

Dear Single Friends!

Who are all my single friends out there?!  Well, this little letter is to YOU.=)

Lately, I've been thinking a lot on how much I desire to some day get married to a young man that loves Jesus, and have lots of babies!  (Yes, that sounds silly, but it's true!=)  That EXCITES me!)

I've always had a dream to have a family, but the other night the desire to someday become a Mom was strengthened when I dreamed I was actually 6 months pregnant!  It was the weirdest, strangest thing...because it felt so real!  You know how you will sometimes have those dreams that you think are so real, that when you wake up, you have to almost pinch yourself?  This was one of them!

But I just remember the feeling in my dream of being pregnant, the strange feeling that I was carrying a little life inside of me.  It was so sweet and beautiful that I was almost sad when I woke up to find out it was all just a dream.  I awoke with a new resolve that if I do nothing else in this world but raise a bunch of sweet babies into godly men & women for Jesus, then my life has been full!!  (Course my husband and I would raise them together, with my husband leading.=)


But that can sound all sweet & cute for a blog post, but what about reality?  What about the NOW that I have to deal with?  What about when a guy asks to have a relationship with you and you know you're not emotionally & spiritually mature & ready for one yet?

Or what if you think you are, but your parents don't think so?  Or what if you see your friends around you dating & seemingly having such carefree, wonderful times of self-fulfillment with their boyfriends and you just have to watch from the sidelines and kiss your Bible?

What then?

I know.  It's tough.

But, ya know, I know God is making something beautiful in me.  I know that He's painting a masterpiece out of the broken, messiness of my weird life...I just know He is.  He has been, and He will continue to.

I may not understand why I can't date now and some of my acquaintances and friends can,
and I may not understand why it seems like some people just do whatever they want and they don't have any consequences,
In fact, have you ever wondered..."WHY DO I EVEN TRY?"  Ever felt like the hopelessly perfect little Miss or Mister Goody-Two-Shoes?  And others made it clear that you were, too?

It FEELS hard to live for Jesus when everybody else seems to be conforming, conforming, conforming, and you try to transform your mind and say "no!"  It feels tough!  I know how it feels!

But what it really comes down to is me.  It comes down to my personal decision if I will obey God today and His will for me, and submit to His will by asking for His forgiveness for whatever I did that day, and trusting Him again,

Or disobeying my Savior that died for me so that I could live in obedience, and face the consequences.

As God's daughter now, I DON'T WANT to disobey Him!  He's changed my heart.  So it's just constant, quiet, humble surrenders every day.  It's me "decreasing and HIM increasing"!

Easy?  God never promised easy.  Worth it?  You kidding me?!  Worth me saying "no" to sex and unhealthy relationships now, so that the first time I say "yes" is on my wedding day to my husband?  Knowing that I had kept my heart tucked away just for him?  Not perfectly by any means!  But me knowing that the struggle of obeying God over self was worth it.

Because the joy that will come that day that I walk down the beach... =)

Sky blue and lilac-colored flowers tucked in my hair, a long, white shimmery veil covering my face,

My creme-colored satin wedding dress adorning my body, a bouquet of real flowers in my hands,

The shimmer of my lips from the lip gloss, ready to kiss my beloved whom I waited for,

The sparkle of joy and gratefulness in my eyes that no one can dampen,

My bare toes warm in the sand,

The ocean lapping beside me,

My loved ones, my friends, my family, watching on in teary awe,

The eyes of my beloved locking with my eyes as I walk toward him,

Though a bit frightened and maybe even still feeling a little unprepared, we both know we are ready,

The cry of the seagulls overhead,

The backdrop of the rosy sunset behind us,

WILL ALL BE WORTH the wait now...



So be encouraged single friend!  "Don't be conformed to this world...but be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your mind!"  (Romans 12:1-2)  Because when you keep getting more and more transformed,

You won't believe the butterfly you became on that day!!

 Dear friend,
Today, just being honest with you, I have struggled with trusting my Savior.  Oh how precious He is to me!  He MUST BE everything to me!  He MUST BE everything to YOU!

Lay your fears, your doubts, your pride, your sin, your messy, bloody soul & self, your rotting, decaying body and mind down at the foot of the cross and

LOOK UP!!!

It's gonna be okay...I must always remind myself that, and you must, too.

2 Corinthians 4:16 tells you today,

"Don't loose heart, for though your outward man is perishing, your inward man is BEING RENEWED DAY BY DAY."

I'm not some amazing person.  God is amazing.  He MUST BE my all!  He MUST BE YOUR ALL!!  The ONE you turn to, the One you run to, cry to, CLING to!
I'm preaching to MYSELF guys!  Don't feel bad!  Just SURRENDER to Him.

You ARE all right if your in His arms.  Don't you see?

Psalm 91 tells us,

"Because YOU have taken refuge in ME (Jesus)...I GIVE MY ANGELS CHARGE OVER YOU, to KEEP YOU IN ALL YOUR WAYS, IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR YOU UP."

Either you will believe that right there, or the lies that lead to death.

It's gonna be okay.  Just KNOW that.

Love you guys,
Sam

It is Well with My Soul, by Chris Rice

Standing Where You Know It's Solid

Your reality is Christ.  Just being real with ya'll here.

Yours and my reality  is God and what He has told us.  Everything else in this world changes and can change and will change...but God NEVER EVER changes and HIS WORD doesn't change!

REALITY IS:

You were made with a purpose.

You can trust God and stand on His Truth to get you through the storm.

You will be held responsible for what you did with YOUR life, not anybody else's.

YOU CAN stand on Truth.  It's just a constant reminding yourself what Truth is, and then, no matter what you're feeling, just banking on it.

Clinging to your Jesus...

and never EVER letting Him go.

Or, better put,
Clinging to the fact that HE NEVER EVER LETS YOU GO.

 

The Locket

Have you ever worn a locket with that special someone's face tucked carefully inside?  Have you felt safe, or even more loved...when you wear that locket?

Let me say this...it's special to be liked by someone.  It's even more special to be loved by someone.  Though it's exciting for me to look forward to the day when I will have that "special someone" that I can call mine, the young man that will sweep me off my feet and make the stars in my eyes burn brighter,

You know what makes you feel the specialist?  You know what gives you the GREATEST fulfillment & hope & feeling of love in your life?

It's KNOWING that JESUS is thinking of you now, and that He loves you.

Yep. 

That's it.

He loves you.

And He has knows your face...every detail.  Even the little things that most people don't know about you...the way one ear may be a little higher than the other, the way when you smile how you only have one dimple, or how when your sad, you try to cover it with a fake smile...

He knows your face.  And He knows your name.  You are not a mistake...He knew the exact day you would be born, and He knows the exact day that He has planned for you when your time here is complete.  He has a purpose for your life...and He wants to have your heart.  He has you close to His heart, and He longs for you to love Him back.  It's like...Jesus is in love with you, He loves you so so much, but you are unaware of His love...

He just wants you to know that you're loved...

 And to keep Him close to your heart...like He does with you.

It's your dash...

Decide today who you are gonna be...


Decide today what the DASH of your life, the dash that equals the life of each person on their tombstone, is gonna be remembered for...


Decide today your future...that's the only reality that you can control...yourself.


Tomorrow, our family will visit my great Aunt's funeral.  She was near ninety, and lived a long, full life filled with quiet service to her Lord.  What will you be remembered for?  Will you remembered for your love for others?  Or your love for the Lord?  Or how you impacted people with truth?  Or how you never gave up even when you were tossed and tormented so badly that at times, you felt like you were going to die? 

Will you be remembered for your courage to face the Goliaths in your life and take responsibility for your life? 

Will you be remembered for...


For being a person that DID SOMETHING THAT MATTERED...??

It's up to you...

It's who you choose to be...

TODAY.

Dear Victor in Jesus,

I understand if you've had a hard day...

Know that I'm praying for you.  If today was one of those days, I'm here to tell you it's gonna be okay.

I've realized, it's tougher for me to run from Jesus & believe the devil's lies when I've tasted His truth...

then it is for me to trust my Savior & love Him today.


You're gonna turn to something in your time of deepest need...

Just turn to Him.


Run to Jesus Song by Chris Rice

Dearest You,

Have you ever felt so alone that you just cried and cried...even though you knew you were wallowing in self-pity?  Have you ever been felt so afraid that you feel caged up?  Or caught?  Or trapped?  Trapped in...bondage to...fear??  Whatever fear that may be for you? 

Jesus has something He wants to tell you and me today, (look at Romans 8:15 for the exact reference)

"For I did not give YOU a spirit of fear to be in bondage again, 

But I have given you the Spirit of ADOPTION by whom YOU cry out, "Daddy!  Daddy!"

Something my Dad told me is that God WOULDN'T tell me to do something that He WOULDN'T give me the EMPOWERMENT to do!!!  "How can I just go to Him and cry out, 'Daddy!"?, you may ask.  Well, you see, it's not you that does it.  It's the Holy Spirit inside of you...you just can't suppress the Holy Spirit down...

You see, my Dad also said something very profound, and that is, "What He requires of you, He has already given you."  This is something I'm still learning and growing in too, so don't feel like I'm preaching at you.  Actually, I need to hear this myself so I'm writing this to you all, hoping and praying that God works this truth in my own life and heart as well.

You see, let's start off with the Truth.  The reality.

If you trusted Jesus to save you from your sins, YOU ARE a Christian.  It's that simple.  It doesn't matter what you did, didn't do, will do, want to do, don't want to do, YOU ARE A SON OR DAUGHTER OF THE HIGH KING, and HE LOVES YOU AS HIS CHILD.

So, here's who you are:

SAVED from yourself, your past sins, the debt you could never pay up
LOVED by Him
ADOPTED into God's family
FREED from sin

GIVEN a Spirit of power, love, a sound mind, and adoption!  You NOW HAVE THE ABILITY to TRUST JESUS EVERY DAY!!!!!   And if the enemy tries to tell you, "Oh well, how do you think you can trust Jesus?  I mean, wouldn't that be in your own strength?  How can you just choose?"

Come back at the devil with THIS REALITY:

"Get BEHIND ME devil!  Because I KNOW that I am God's child!  And Jesus has, (according to Romans 8 and other verses!) ALREADY GIVEN ME a Spirit of adoption, HE'S ALREADY GIVEN ME FAITH, so THAT'S HOW I can CHOOSE to TRUST JESUS TODAY!  Because the Holy Spirit is INSIDE OF ME, and I HAVE THE ABILITY NOW to run to JESUS, to CLAIM TRUTH, TO FIGHT THE LIES, TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE LIES, and to STAND VICTORIOUS!!!"

Because...IT'S NOT ABOUT ME and my strength and ability, it's about the ABILITY and STRENGTH JESUS HAS GIVEN ME BY MAKING HIS HOME INSIDE OF ME.  Make sense?  

I don't NEED to be "STRONG ENOUGH" to COME to Jesus!   All I do is SURRENDER my heart to Him AGAIN (because if you're His child then you've already done it  at least once before!) and BELIEVE what my Savior is telling me, because I HAVE ALREADY BELIEVED HIM FOR MY SALVATION, 

WHY CAN'T I BELIEVE WHAT HE'S PROMISED ME FOR TODAY???

So dearest you, 

you that feels unworthy,

you that feels guilty,

you that feels hopeless,

you that feels FEELS FEELS !!!!

JESUS IS YOUR STRENGTH!  He IS your hope!  He doesn't ASK anything of you that He HASN'T ALREADY GIVEN YOU!  

And here's something else you must know.  You ready?  Here's reality, okay?  No feelings, no emotions knotted up with it, just hard core REALITY.

Because YOU ARE HIS CHILD, JESUS IS NEVER GOING TO STOP CHASING YOU.  So, you can do one of two things.

You can either do it the hard way and trust in your own feelings and emotions and make your learning experience a lot more prolonged,

Or you can admit that "Okay, yes Jesus, you got me.  You're right!  I'm yours."  And then He just picks you back  up and sets you back on the narrow road.  It's that simple.

He just wants your heart...that's it.  And it's never too late to give it back up to Him.  NEVER EVER.  

So dear you,

YOU CAN GO BOLDLY to the throne of God, not because you have this amazing ability to believe God, or because you have an amazing amount of faith, or because you tried and tried really hard and so then you earned a certain rank in the Christian walk and now you can go to Him,

NO!  You can go to Jesus RIGHT NOW because when God looks at you when you go to His throne, He doesn't see you any more!  He sees the ONE YOU ARE TRUSTING!  He sees the ONE THAT TOOK YOUR PLACE.

He sees THE ONE that loved you so much that He temporarily gave up His place as a Son of God, so that YOU COULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE GOD'S CHILD, TOO.

So don't you EVER EVER EVER let the devil tell you WHO YOU ARE, because He is a liar, and deceiver and destroyer and a BIG FAT PHONY!   He is afraid that if you truly come to the point of realizing YOUR IDENTITY in Christ, that you will KICK HIS BUTT!!!!
 

And it's true!!  Because when you come to that realization point, YOU WILL!

Dearest you,

You will. 

THIS WEEKEND WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went to the i-Wireless arena in Moline, Illinois for the LIFE Leadership Conference, & it was AMAZING!  

More quotes are to come=), but for now...

 

You OUT TRUTH the devil in the name of Jesus, under His authority & power, that is how you overcome.

The Truth (Jesus is the truth!) will set you free!

Don't Give Up, Keep Pressing In

Sometimes in this Christian life, it is easy to become discouraged when you are searching after God and you can't feel Him.  It's like, you know He's there, you know He hasn't given up on you, you know His promises are true, you know that if you just keep holding on that He will save you and bring you through your trials,

But your head begins to get a little weary.  You begin to think... "Could giving in to sin be really all that bad?"  Maybe you start to justify why you would disobey the Lord.  You wonder, "Is it really possible to live a fruitful, deeply satisfying, joy-filled life of obedience?  Doesn't everyone fall sometimes?"

You begin to slowly not dwell in that "secret place" with Him as much, you don't confess when your convicted of sin, you justify, you ignore His Voice...

I've been there.


But let me tell you something that should encourage you today.  Even when I ignore His Voice and doubt my Savior, He remains the same.  He's always there, waiting for me to run back to Him.  Yes, I have sinned.  Even this morning...but see, as soon as I realize what I have done, I don't have to ignore The Voice, I can confess my sin and get back into an intimate relationship with Him again.  I can dust myself off and get back on that narrow path of obedience of following Him.

It's a LIE to think that living the Christian life in obedience isn't worth it...

It's a LIE to think that it isn't possible to live the Christian life in obedience...

It's a LIE to think that because I veered a little off the narrow path, that it's too late.

It's a LIE to think that if I put my life and desires and needs and wants in Jesus' hands that He isn't able to keep me and guide me into life.

It's a LIE to think that if I ignore Jesus' Voice continually that there will be no consequences.

It's a LIE to think that my obedience to God relies on my own strength.


So then, if these are the lies, then what is the Truth?


 The Truth is, is that Jesus promises you that if you forget what's in the past, and 'press toward the goal', never giving up, that you WILL be rewarded.  Jesus calls your name, calling out to you and telling you that there is a race to be run, and that you run not for a prize that will die, but for an 'imperishable crown'. 

 The Truth is, is that if you follow Jesus and listen to His voice, He promises to 'always lead you in triumph in Christ', for with your hope and trust in Him, you cannot fail.  You just have to HOLD FAST onto that truth, never give in or give up and continually press in close to His heart.


The Truth is, is that it's never too late to get back on the narrow path.  It was your choice to disobey, if you know you disobeyed, then just confess it and get back on the road.  It's NEVER too late to start living today in obedience to the will of your Savior.  He wants complete control of your life...today...now.


The Truth is, is that I don't have to try to live in obedience, fighting this fight against the flesh by myself, because on my own I will fail.  But Jesus tells you and I that He 'saved you and calls you with a holy calling, not according to your works, but according to His own purpose...for this reason you will also suffer these things; nevertheless you are not ashamed, for you know whom you have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what you have committed to Him until that Day."


God would not call you to do something that you would NOT BE ABLE TO DO.  Don't you see?  A lot of times, I can get so wrapped up, "Oh Jesus, I don't think I can do this, I'm scared Jesus, I'm afraid I'll fail..."

When the entire time, He is holding me in the palm of His scarred hand and looking on at me with love and saying softly, "Daughter, because you have run to Me when you are in trouble, because you have made Me your refuge, I will not let any evil befall you."

With loving eyes, He continues to tell me gently, the tears running down my cheeks,

"Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for I will give My angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.  In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you shall your foot against a stone."



You see, all Jesus asks of you, all Jesus asks of me, is that when you are tempted to give in, to give up, to fear, to disobey, that you run to Him.  All He asks that you listen to His Voice.

A friend/mentor of mine has this mantra that's she's sorta instilled in me, that is, "Don't give up.  Keep pressing in...keep pressing in to Jesus."

It's your choice.  Choose to listen to the Voice of Truth today.


Your sister in the fight,
Samantha
 

Thanksgiving 2014, my 'thankful-fors'

Today I am Thankful For...

A Warm home

A family that loves me

God who always is faithful

Friends that care and love

And little tiny puppies that are so cute I want to kiss them all the time!

 

Me and My AMAZ-I-N Friend ELLEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

True Beauty Lies Deeper than Foundation...in fact, it is the foundation

The Boy In Striped Pajamas.

That's the title of a movie we as a family, just finished watching.  This movie is anything but a little boy in his PJ's going to sleep.  This is a movie that tears your heart out as it displays the Truth about what really happened inside the Nazi Concentration Camps in World War II.  It wasn't just fun and games, and it wasn't even that they treated them sorta of roughly.  It wasn't even a prisoner-of-war POW camp, either.  It was a slaughter-house of thousands, of millions, upon millions of real, made-in-the-image-of-God human beings.  And yet how many of us today know their story...?

Their story.  When I say their story I mean the story of the thousands of millions of individuals that suffered and were murdered by the cruelty of the Nazi soldiers, the men and women that Hitler, along with others, had brainwashed them into thinking that just because someone is different, that it makes them of less value than themselves.  

That is so wrong!  See, what they didn't realize is that each individual, each person, is a human being created by Almighty God and Creator, special and unique, beautiful in the eyes of God, just the way God created them to be.

So what if the girl at your school is bigger than you?  Or your best friend you've grown up with, she weighs ten pounds less than you...Or she doesn't wear make-up and you do...or you work out and your friend doesn't...or you have thicker hair than someone else...or straighter teeth...or whatever!  God made each and every one of us special and beautiful in His eyes.  Different, yes, but deep down, in the inside, we all have a soul still.  We all want to be loved, cherished, respected, admired, cradled.  

We all long for a friend that will accept us for who we are.  And do you know what?  Proverbs 31 tells us, that "beauty is fleeting, but a woman (or man) who fears the Lord shall be praised"!  Big muscles, beautiful skin, whatever it is, will fade with time, and eventually completely disappear.  But inward beauty is like fine wine, it grows better over time.   Inward beauty cannot be taken away from you, it becomes who you are, what you stand for, the essence of you.  

And how do you get inward beauty?  Because in reality, from the moment each one of us is conceived, we are ugly with sin on the inside.  Our hearts are infested with it.  So the only way we can be beautiful on the inside is to repent of our ugly sin, and cling to the One and Only Savior, Jesus Christ.  He will purge you into the cool water and cleanse you and make you new!   He even tells you, that "all those who are in Christ are a new creation, old things have passed away, all things have become new."  Amen!  

So do you want true beauty?  Turn to Christ.  He is the essence of all things beautiful.  He is the Lord.  Worship and thank Him for being Savior this Thanksgiving, and always.

Remember, you are beautiful in His eyes!  He made you with a specific purpose and plan by making you just the way you are.  

 

 

 

 

Gerda Weissmann

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  Gerda Weissmann

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Born: May 8, 1924
Bielsko, Poland

Gerda was born to a Jewish middle-class family in Bielsko, Poland, a town noted for its textile industry. She began her education in Polish public school, but later entered a Catholic girls school. A rabbi was permitted to come into the school and instruct the Jewish students in religious studies.
1933-39: On Friday, September 1, 1939, German fighter planes appeared overhead, causing many people to flee the city. My family remained and lived through the intense shelling that followed on Sunday evening. In the morning we heard a tremendous roar. Two German soldiers raced up the street on a motorcycle. We heard people shouting "Heil Hitler" and a black, white and red swastika flag suddenly fluttered from a window across the street.
1940-45: After being moved to Bielsko's ghetto, I was deported in 1942 to work in a textile mill in Bolkenhain, Silesia. Despite the hunger and backbreaking labor, there was caring among the inmates. A German supervisor, Mrs. Kugler, even saved my life. I'd fallen ill and gone to the camp hospital. Mrs. Kugler knew that an SS man was inspecting and that the sick would be gassed. She dragged me back to the factory, started my loom and set me in front of it. I was delirious from fever, but I passed the inspection.
Gerda was later sent to slave-labor camps in Marzdorf, Landshut, and Gruenberg. She was liberated by the American army in May 1945, and emigrated to the United States in 1946.





 http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/idcard.php?ModuleId=10006544

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/the-holocaust