God Loves Me Most...

18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
                                                        1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NLT)

 

I am sure that I am not alone in my struggle with sexual purity. Seeing as this blog is a chronicle of how God is shaping me into an amazing person, I feel I would be remiss if I did not write about my journeys of late in the hopes that it may help someone else along their journey and also as a reminder to myself of the lesson learned.

 

I wandered have off the path for a bit.  I felt the need to "look" for God's match for me instead of waiting for God to bring him to me when I was ready for him.  It is so true that we often want for ourselves what is not best for us.  It is so easy to convince ourselves that what we are wanting is what God wants for us! Justifying this, rationalizing that, before we know it we will find ourselves knee deep in the gunk we had worked so hard to climb out of such a short time before. Alas, that is exactly where I found myself!

17-20 But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

 

                                                                Romans 7:18 (MSG)

I chose to become sexually active.  I was chastised by my dear friend who reminded me of the promises I had made to myself and to God as well as how God saw the subject. While I heard what she said it took me a few days to work through. I spent several days trying to rationalize my disobedience and how it was okay and how I deserved to be able to experince this kind of relationship. 

12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

                                                                   I Corinthians 10:12

But then the spirit started really dealing with me. I was chastised for my choices, which in truth I knew were wrong all along. As the spirit really started talking to me I was asked this question,

"Who do you love the most?"

"God" I replied.

"Who loves YOU more?"

"God" I said.

I want to please Him. I want to make Him proud and I want to feel His closeness.  I have been choosing to do things that have pulled me away from Him lately. I was starting to feel scattered and insecure. Unless you have experienced this centered perfect place in Christ for yourself, there is no way for me to describe the wonderful peace and joy that is there.  Once you have experienced it though it is something you will long for if you are not in it. I am finding my way back again.  I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.  My mind feels clear and my heart feels light.  I am choosing my God over myself.  His will over my own. I am choosing to be obedient to Him and trust in His plan for me instead of my own in this area.

 

Something I learned last summer has really stuck with me and that is to consider each desicion you make not on it's immediate result but how it will affect your life in the long run.  I have been making choices based on what I feel in that moment and it has not served me well.  My focus has been on my flesh and it's wants instead of God and His truth. The bad news is that I cannot take back the choices I made and I have to live with them.  The good news is that my God is one of mercy and grace and that with the my obedience and confession of my failures He will forgive me and I can start today renewed in the knowledge that I belong to my God first and always will.

  

 

Give to God What is Gods...

I know it has been a little while and I have lots to catch  you all up on.  I have been learning some really awesome things about finance the last few months and I want to share that with you first.  I will have some more posts to catch you up over the next few weeks.

So I realized after I had been working for a little while that I needed to start planning for my future financially, and figure out what I needed to do to ensure I don't ever end up in the financial mess I found myself in again. My first step was tithing.  I know that you might wonder about that but I can ensure you that when you faithfully give to the Lord his portion, He will faithfully give back and then some! Not once since I started tithing regularly have I had to worry about having enough money to pay my bills! Some months I have extra income left at the end of the month and I'm not sure where it came from! God truly does reward faithfulness!

¹⁰ Bring to the storehouse a full tenth of what you earn so there will be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord All-Powerful. “I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need.

                                                                         Malachi 3:10

Next, I decided to complete the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University program, as I told you in a previous post.  My goal is to become debt free and so I decided to learn from the best on how to accomplish that goal.  I would recommend this program to every person I know, whether you feel you have your finances in order or not! It is just amazing.  There are several steps to becoming debt free in this program and I am right now working on step two, which is the debt snowball! 

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

                                                                        Proverbs 22:7 

God has faithfully provided for me in abundance since I started trusting Him and honoring Him with my finances.  I have continually had more than enough and have been able to do things just in the last few months that would have never been possible a year ago.  It is so true that if you are faithful to the Lord, He is faithful to you!

His Love Never Fails...

Do you know what it feels like to trust in God.  I mean REALLY trust in Him.  Not the kind of trust where everything is going great, yeah, God is blessing me.  But the kind that even when bad, horrible, disastrous things are happening you are still praising Him and full of joy and peace?  I think I have found that very place, and boy, let me tell you, it is an AMAZING place to be!

The default judgment I was previously granted for my divorce has been set aside as of Wednesday of last week. So I am now, in effect, UN-divorced!  Now before you start with the sympathy, let me tell you that I think it is a hoot and a half!  I mean how many people can say they are UN-divorced! It just cracks me up! So would you like to know the secret to my crazy weirdo joy?  TRUST!

I guess I should start at the beginning, its a very good place to start....

About a month ago my attorney informed me that the Motion to Vacate Judgement had been filed in relation to my divorce.  I reacted much like you might expect, with tears, anger, frustration, fear.  The fear, that's what got me. I am in Christ. There is no fear in Christ Jesus (I John 4:18).  I hate fear, because I KNOW that fear is of Satan, so if I am experiencing fear that means I am not trusting in the Lord!

So all that night and the next morning I was sad, worried, and afraid.  But then, I said out loud to a friend all the things that I was trying to think of.  Everything will be okay, God has a plan, Deuce is his child and I am only here to take care of him for God, that being so, God will not let anything befall Deuce that isn't inline with the path that God has for him.  Immediately all that apprehension, fear and worry disappeared!  I have not dwelt on any negative thoughts regarding the situation since.  If they try to creep in I just think or say the promises that my God has given me.

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

³¹ 

but those who hope in the Lord    will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;    they will run and not grow weary,   they will walk and not be faint.   Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

I am so full of joy and peace.  I am not upset that I am now un-divorced.  As I said, I think it is quite funny! I know that God is in control, that he has a plan and I cannot even begin to fathom what it is.  I am just doing everything I can to stay obedient to God.  I will, "love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me" Matthew 5:44.   I will praise Him in this situation, because I know that no matter where I am He is still God. I know that he is just and loves his children. I know that He will work all things for His glory and for good for those who love Him!

I feel like I cannot give this topic justice.  I can't seem to put into words the way I feel.  I think I have finally truly fallen in love with my God. I  trust him completely. I rely on him solely. I long only for his voice and presence.  My only desire is that my contentment, peace, joy and strength will be a testament to the amazing awesomeness of what God can do when you are completely devoted to him!

Baptizm, What's the big deal?...

I would like to talk a little bit about the fact that I am being baptized on Sunday at church.  Baptism is not something that I have given much thought before the last couple of weeks.  I was baptized in the Eastern Orthodox Church as part of the initiation rites.  While it was a lovely ceremony, I don’t think I quite grasped the importance of it at that point.  Even now I think I am struggling a little as to what the importance of it is.  I am saved, something I have no doubt of, God is actively working in my life, I am inhabited by the holy spirit who leads me daily and I have given over my life to the Lord and strive to be completely obedient to His direction for my life.  So, what is the big deal with baptism?

 

I have dug in a little bit and found a couple of verses and some interesting points of view that have helped me understand a little bit better why I need to take this step.

1.       In Matthew 28: 19-20, Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit ….”

 

2.       “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”  Romans 6:3-6

 

3.       “God’s people should be baptized because God commanded it, not because some church requires it.” ~ John R. Rice

So here is why I am being baptized.

             I am being baptized because Jesus commissioned it and God commands it. I am being baptized as an act of humility and submission to God.  I am obeying His command and showing those around me a symbol of my faithfulness and desire to be Christ-like in all that I do.

             As you well know I am a bit hard headed and it usually takes a little nudging at the very least for me to pay attention to what God is directing me to do.  Well I have been working on this and truly feel that I am improving in that area.  As an act of obedience and in an effort to do the right thing before I am “made” to, I am getting baptized on Sunday.

 
And now why are you waiting?

Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins,

calling on the name of the Lord.

Acts 22:16

Blessings, Blessings, and More Blessings!

Well I know I have been missing for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would stop in to let everyone know that I am doing great. :)  I have had so many amazing things happen to me over the last few weeks. 

I was totally blessed to be involved with the planning of my church's fall banquet for women, "Bless Your Heart".  It was such a great event and the guest speaker gave some awesome words on being astounded by God!  I love serving and seeing others blessed by my obedience.

I was also used to bless a young woman who works at my son's daycare center. She hasn't been able to get her driver's license renewed and so has to take a taxi to and from work everyday.  The spirit urged me to offer her a ride last week and was able to bless her by giving her a ride home! 

God is allowing my faith to be tested as well this month.  My ex-husband finally obtained an attorney after my divorce was finalized and they have filed a "Motion to Vacate", which basically means that they are trying to get the judge to take back his decision to grant my request for divorce so that we have to go through all the arguing and fighting and stuff.  The only reason I can think that they have done this is because it was the only avenue open to them at this point for a chance to have the visitation changed in regard to my son without having to complete the things the judge ordered in the Divorce Judgement.  I am not at all worried about it.  I know that my God is in control and if a fight is what is required so be it. He has a plan and I am not about to try and second guess him.  I am not nearly smart enough to figure this out!

Finally, I have started following the teachings of Dave Ramsey! I am so excited about this part of my new journey.  I am making some big changes to my living situation in order to pay off the debt that will not be included in my bankruptcy.  It will be a drastic change, but if I can stick it out then I will hopefully be debt free within the next 2 1/2 to 3 years! I will then be able to work towards finding a home big enough for Deuce and I.  I cannot tell you how excited I get to do my budget every week and fund my envelope system. It is such a blessing to be able to do this and know that I am blessed with enough that I don't have to make the difficult decisions some families are faced with every month when they budget thier income.

Over all my life is supremely blessed and I am so thankful for all that God has done and continues to do in my life to not only bring me closer to him but also to guide me down the path he has for my life.  As we begin this holiday season over the next several weeks I hope you will be aware of God's presence around you and remember that as he has blessed you so greatly that you are to bless those who you come into contact with as well.

But those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

                                    Isaiah  40:31 (NIV)

In the Beginning, When the Going gets Tough, He Does What He Says He'll Do!

I think I somehow missed a week posting, I will try to make up for it this week!

As you all know, if you keep up with my blog, God has done some pretty amazing things in my life over the last year. I have been blessed many times over and God has taken me through some things I never thought I would have the strength or courage to go through. This week I have really been praying about what God wants me to do next. As you saw from my last post finances have been at the forefront as of late. I feel like he is really asking me to make some big changes, ones that will definitely have me stepping out in faith. They are long term and VERY goal oriented. As I was reading my dailies this week for Sunday School, and again in Sunday School and during the service, I feel like God just gave me a promise, that if I will remember, will help me in the future.

6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

                                                                       Philippians 1:6 (KJV)

God has shown us time and again through out the bible that if we will trust in him and follow his path he will be faithful. This morning we were looking at the story of Miriam, Moses's sister. She was a witness of God's power from a young girl. She saw how he protected her brother and insured his safety, how he brought that same brother forth to help free them from slavery in Egypt, and she sang praises to God when he parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to pass and then sent the waves over the Egyptians that followed. She received the manna from the skies when she was hungry in the desert and the water from the rock when there was no water to be found. She knew the power and goodness of God and yet she did not trust him when it counted the most.

Miriam questioned God and her brother, Moses. Things didn't seem to be happening in the the timing she thought was fair and she basically thought that she could do better. Because of her audacity and discontentment she was sent out of the camp for seven days to have a heart to heart with God. (Exodus 11 & 12) And ultimately, because of their lack of faith the Israelites as a whole had to wait 40 YEARS to enter the Promised Land, because even after everything God had done for them, they still didn't have enough faith to believe he would complete his work and give them the land he had promised them.

How often do we become discontented with where God has us, or how God is instructing us? Do you question his will for your life? Worse yet, do you wander from his path and try to accomplish things on your own? Do these attempts ever seem to end up working out the way you plan them? Most likely they don't. As I have learned the best way to accomplish your goals is to make sure they are of the Lord, follow his lead, and DON'T TRY TO MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN! So how do we remember how faithful the Lord has been in the past when the going gets rough? That was one of the questions we discussed in Sunday School, and the pastor answered it brilliantly in his sermon.

3 He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation and stopped working.

                                                        Genesis 2:3 (GNT)

God took a day, just to enjoy his creation, he wasn't tired, it wasn't like he couldn't do more if he wanted to, he was just finished. He has created all that he wanted to create he had COMPLETED his work. God ALWAYS completes his work. There is no promise that God made in the old testament that he did not complete or fulfill. Not one! Sometimes it was a blessing and sometimes it was a curse, but if he said it he did it! He is a God of completion!

Do we set a time apart every week, or DAY, to reflect on what God has completed in our lives? How he has blessed us, or chastised us, or challenged us? I think this is the secret to keeping on track! Reminding ourselves as often as needed of all the ways God has been so faithful to us in the past and present so that when the going gets hard, the answers aren't coming quickly enough, or the trials are lingering, we know that God is a faithful God and what he begins he does finish! It may not be in our timing, but it will be in the perfect time, because God is perfect and he is just and all good things will come to those who wait upon him!

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

                                                        Lamentations 3:25 (NIV)

And so I ask again, where is your hope? Do you stop to acknowledge everything the Lord has done for you regularly? When times get tough what is your reaction? What has God completed in your lives that is a testament to his faithfulness and love for you?

Bruce Lee, Goals, and Finance

A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.

Bruce Lee

 

So I have been really thinking about my financial situation lately.  Where I am, where I want to be.  I have been listening to the playbacks of a great series that Lifechurch just completed called Strapped.  I’m not going to repeat the message for you, but if you want a great foundation for how to manage your money in a Godly way, I would highly recommend you check it out. 

What I would like to focus on are some basic money management practices I utilize as a single mom.  I know managing money is a challenge for anyone, but there is something about being a single mom that adds to the responsibility of money management.  In my case I am the sole provider for my son.  I have not started receiving child support, nor do I plan on including that as income if I do.  It is what I will use to begin an account for my son’s education and I may also use it to help build an emergency income account as well, since if something happens and I am unable to work I want to know I will be able to provide for him. 

So here are the things that I have found that are helping me stay on track. I think that most of these will work for anyone, regardless of the amount of your income.

1. MAKE A BUDGET every month and stick to it.  If you make out a budget and can see where all your money is going, you’re less likely to buy those little things here and there that end up making you short on money at the end of the month.  Be realistic and make sure you do give yourself some “fun money”, if you can afford it, for a burger or to buy a cute top, just know how much you have to spend and don’t spend anymore. 

2. PAY THE SAME AMOUNT ON YOUR UTILITIES EVERY MONTH.  I pay $100 for my electricity, $30 for my gas, and $65 for my water.  This works better than averaging your bill if your trying to budget because it is the same regardless of usage.  Right now I think I probably have a credit showing on my gas bill for this month.  This works because if you are paying more when the bill is less, then your building up credit for when you bill goes higher due to the seasons and hopefully you will never have to pay more than that amount!  If you take your bills over the last 6-12 months and average them, then add $20 to that amount you should be pretty safe, or you can call your electric and gas companies and ask them what the payment would be if you changed to average bill pay and then add $20 to the amount they say your bill will fluctuate around.  My electric usage averaged over the last 12 months was around $85.

3. START SAVING!  This is so important.  You should have an emergency savings account that you do not touch unless you have no other choice, with a minimum balance of $500, but ideally $1000. It will be tough saving it up, I know, but it will be a lifesaver when you have a blowout, or your car breaks down, or you or your child gets sick or you get laid off and can’t work for a week. Make sure when your doing your budget you keep in mind, you might have to sacrifice for awhile in another area in order to get this built up, but once you reach a certain amount you can redistribute SOME of that money if you need to.  The main thing is that you put SOMETHING in that account every month regardless of the balance.

4. USE CASH!  It makes your money more tangible and real to you and you will be more reluctant to blow it on just anything.  I must admit I have not done a great job at this, but in general I try not to swipe my debit card for much.  I do have a cool little deal on my checking account that rounds every purchase I make with my debit card up to the next dollar and puts the difference in my savings.  So I am saving while spending, however, I would not recommend it unless you are able to manage it properly.  As a rule the following should always be paid for in cash that has been designated for that expense, (ie. Groceries, fun money, sundries, etc.)  Dave Ramsey suggests the envelope system and I think that is a great way to manage the different areas of cash expenses. 

5. DO NOT BUY WHAT YOU CANNOT AFFORD!  Do NOT use credit cards. Do not get loans for anything other than a mortgage or a USED vehicle loan with a term 4 years or less.  If at all possible get that car paid off ASAP!  If you find you want something you do not have extra cash for then save up for it after you have contributed to your emergency fund and paid all your other monthly expenses.

6. If you have lots of debt then seek advice, get rid of it, you CAN DO IT! I highly recommend looking into Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University classes.  I just signed up to do mine online.  It will cost you a little bit, but it is an investment in your family’s future and it is worth it.  It is the only thing I would say to use your emergency fund money for that isn’t an emergency if you have no other way to pay for it.

I know at this point your thinking, gee that sounds great, good for you, I could never do that.  YES YOU CAN! All you have to do is find your motivation, focus on that and push forward. Sometimes you will feel like your doing the whole one step forward, two steps back, but KEEP PUSHING! It will work and you will be better for it.  My goal is pay off my car and save up enough money in the next 5 years for a down payment on a bigger home that will fit my son and I and then to have that paid off in another 5-7 years so that within 10 - 12 years I will be completely debt free with nothing more than monthly bills to worry about. 

Remember, goals aren’t always meant to be achieved; sometimes we will fly by them and hit something even bigger, sometimes we will come up short, but still WAY ahead of where we would have been otherwise.  The reward is in the doing, not the achieving.  Your reward in learning to manage your finances is that you will have less stress, more security and more time to enjoy your life.

Here are a few things the bible says about managing finances:

Romans 13:8 

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Proverbs 22:7

The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

I hope that some or all of this will help all you independent and strong single mommies become even more self-sufficient and stable.  I am excited about discovering all this great advice and guidance and that I have scripture to teach me how to be Godly with my finances. 

 

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

                                                            James 1:17