Friday, July 30, 2010

Are you offended?

Did the title catch you off guard? The statement I'm about to make may cause you to wonder what on earth I'm talking about even more.... You should be offended. You should be repulsed and it should without a doubt bother you. What am I talking about? The ways of this world.... more specifically, the sex scenes in movies between an unmarried couple, tv shows that glorify teens going behind their parents back, crude jokes that your friends tell, the lyrics that some of the most popular artist sing, or just the little things that are consistently put in front of us which do not line up with God's word, day after day, hour after hour, and moment after moment... Are you repulsed by these things? I'm not just talking about being annoyed by them sometimes. Want to know if you are repulsed by them? Do you laugh at the jokes? Do you just ignore the scenes and continue watching the movie? Do you continue listening to the songs just bc your like the "beat"? If you said yes to any of these you are giving in. Those are just some signs of sitting on the fence. Are there things that you don't even notice or in all honesty you may enjoy? What about that sex scene? Do you even notice it anymore? With so many showing it is easy to not even notice it.... what about that joke? Are you the first one to laugh at it? You see where I'm going with this. I may not have even listed the thing you struggle with, but you know how it also applies to you.

Girls, our world is consumed by sin.... it is everywhere we look, everything we hear, and seeing that we don't have a choice about living on this world we have to make choices. Now please understand that by no means am i saying that you should go through life mad at the world and offended by everything people say, but I am saying that you shouldn't just get use to sin. You shouldn't just overlook it bc youve seen it to much. Make sense? We minimize sin. Kinda like phone sex is alright bc at least they aren't really doing it! Is that true? No. I just laughed at the joke....at least I didn't tell it! Girls, I desire for you to be so in love with God and so consumed by Him that when sin pops up you will know immediately that it is wrong!

How can you do that? You have to immerse yourself in God's word! I've noticed that when i get out of Gods word my sin alarms aren't as alert.... Are your so into God's word that there is no question in your mind what is right and what is wrong? Here are some verses about being set apart from the world and knowing right from wrong!

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Matther7:17-18 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

Revelation 3:15-16 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

James 1:22-24 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

So, here is my answer as to how you can keep your eyes on Christ. Get into His word! How will you know whats right from wrong if you never know the truth? We have the world telling us lies constantly, but Gods word is the only truth we have. I love the word, "Immerse"! The webster dictionary describes it as, "to plunge into something that surrounds or covers". I want to be covered/surrounded in God's word! Do you? Threre is only one way to go about that.... read it! You can study, memorize, examine, and take to heart Gods word. Then the next time you watch a show and something happens that is agianst Gods word you will most likely not think that it is normal.

This is my hearts desire! Is it yours?

With love,
JEN

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Thought-Filled Thursday!

“To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.” -E. E. Cummings

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Word-Filled Wednesday!

Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

A Word Aptly Spoken

Hey girls! I have something on my heart tonight, that doesn't necessarilly have to do with purity. But since I really want to share this with you tonight, I hope you will read on. I would like to discuss the value of an aptly spoken word.

Proverbs 25:11 says "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver."

Wow. Think about the gravity of that. It really puts the pressure on us to think about what we are going to say before we say it.

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer everyone." -Colossians 4:6

You know, there have been so many times I have wanted to speak in the heat of the moment, and many more that I have, and realized later that it was the wrong thing to say. If I had heeded these Bible verses and taken the time to make sure grace was a factor in the conversation, things may have gone much smoother. Which brings me to my next point: Timing is everything. I suggest not speaking when the emotions are still very fresh. Wait until you have calmed down and thought things through thoroughly. Then you will be able to present your case calmly and rationally. My pastor always says that you can say the right thing at the wrong time and it's still wrong. By speaking when your emotions are still fresh, you are only going to make yourself more upset and the other person as well.

But if you take your time, and focus on grace and speaking aptly, then you will be in a much better position to shine for Christ. I'm preaching to myself here girls. Heaven knows I have to be very careful about my mouth. I have hurt more people than I'd care to admit over petty things, when I could have waited until I could speak calmly and solved the problem much more efficiently. Well that is all I have tonight girls!

Love, Kat

Friday, July 23, 2010

Who controls your time?

So, lately Kat has been doing these amazing post that were short, sweet, and to the point. I on the other hand can be very long winded, so I apologize, but just hang on! :)

I think I mentioned it in an earlier post that I do have a boyfriend. If you didn't know that then....i do! Anywho, God has really been dealing with me about some things that before I had a bf I never really had to deal with. We are going to discuss one of them today.

Its who controls your time? I'm all about spending time with God! I wish I could spend more time with Him but I normally spend at least 15- 30 min a day plus other little times through out the day. You know what I mean. God started laying on my heart that just if I was still txting or thinking what I was going to txt him once I got done with God then i wasn't truly giving God my attention. Its like hanging out with your best friend or boyfriend and they are txting someone the whole time. I mean you are still talking and laughing together, but do you have their full concentration? There is no way. Even if they say you do you know full well you don't. So my question is, is it any different with God? I don't think so.... Its just like Bro Hal (my pastor) always says... You can tell who people truly love by looking at their checkbook. People's time is the same way. So who owns your time? It may not be a boyfriend... I have no idea! For me at times it is. Are you even spending time with God? If not then what is stopping you? If you are but you aren't giving Him your whole attention then what is stopping you?

Its just something that's been on my heart lately...:)

Much love,
JEN

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Thought Filled Thursday!

The Bible never tells you to marry who you love, but it does say love who you marry! ~ Matt Cook

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Pray About It.

I don't really have a lot to talk about tonight. Not much laid on my heart but prayer. So I just kinda want to encourage you girls to pray tonight. I'll keep this short and sweet.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7

Not sure what standards to set regarding purity? Pray about it.
Not sure what to look for in a future husband? Pray about it.
Not sure if a dating is in God's plan for you right now? Pray about it.
Not sure if your relationship is centered around God? Pray about it.

I challenge you to pray about all your struggles, not just those regarding purity. God will listen, and he will answer, if you are willing to hear it. Even as you pray, I encourage you to dig in the word and see what the Bible says about your problems. Sometimes God's answers are already right there in front of us.

Love, Kat

Saturday, July 17, 2010

You are not alone...

By the title you may think that I'm going to tell you how God is always with you and even though that is absolutely true Its not what we are going to talk about today!

We all have secrets... some are more serious than others, but they each hold a tender place in the owners heart. I will go ahead and tell you this is not a post that you can keep your mask on for. You have to be honest with yourself. I'm shocked each time a girl shares one of her deepest secrets with me. There are some girls that you can look at and know that they are hiding something, but then there are others who seem to have everything together. Life is just all peachy and they have never had anything happen to them. Ive found that those are the ones that are normally hurting the most.... Are you one of those? You know if you are. If you are, when i asked that something specifically popped into your head. Don't let satan tell you, "Oh that little thing! That's nothing..,. she is talking about something big!". That's a lie. To someone else your secret may be small, but to you it is big and as far as God is concerned it is big.... it matters. Here are a few ideas of secrets. Yours may not be on here, but at the same time it may be...

*I hate my family
*I've been abused (Emotionally, physically, verbally, sexually, etc)
*I'm anexoric or bulimic
*I feel unloved at home
*My parents constantly argue/ are getting divorced
*I question my salvation
*Ive been raped/molested
*I feel fat
*I do drugs, smoke, or drink
*My boyfriend and I have gone to far
*I question how God could still love me after all Ive done
*I think I'm ugly
*Ive thought about suicide
*I'm addicted to porn
*I've had an abortion
*When it comes to Christianity I'm a hypocrite

These are just examples or things that Ive had girls tell me lately.... Are any of these yours? I may not have mentioned yours. You fill in the blank. Girls these are real issues... Now why am I making you think about this? I have some news that I want you to realize... YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Seeing that I want to go into counseling God has given me some awesome opportunities to talk to girls. Some share more than others, but here is the deal. We each have a past. If you don't then praise God! You are about one in a million. Satan wants you to think that you are all alone and that no one cares. That is the furthermost thing from the truth. I know personally that Ive had a few secrets of my own that NO one knew. People were shocked when they find out. I try to not sound surprised when girls tell me things, but they do such a great job of covering it up that no one even suspects that anything is wrong. Please do not get the wrong or have any preconceived ideas.... I'm not friends with all these girls from off the streets or anything like this.  Yes I have some friends who aren't in Church, but most of the girls I talk to are regular church members. Girls who act as if life is perfect. You are not the only one who has ever made the mistake you made or been taken advantage of the way you were. You're not.... I can promise you that.

So, now that you know you aren't alone what should you do? I do not advise you telling your secret to just anyone.... People who seem to be your best friend can easily turn their back on you. Choose someone you can for sure trust! You may have tried opening up to someone before and they just hurt you. Been there... but not everyone is like that. People care about you.....Satan doesn't want you to believe that though. Church leaders are great! If they don't know how to help you or you need help past just a listening ear they can get you the help you need. If you can, talk to your parents. I highly advise that one!! Talk to a school counselor. You know who you can talk to! Just like the secret... as soon as i mentioned talk to someone you had someone pop into your mind! Of course, just like everything else.... pray first! Seek God and see who HE would have you talk to! Then talk to that person! You may say, "I just need to get over it.", but the only way you can is by talking it out... you need to have someone that will just listen to you and by no means judge you.

We've talked about not being bound by sin, but this can be the same thing. Your secret can bind you and make you feel as if you, "Aren't normal" or that you do not have a choice, but to keep your mask on. People would think you were a freak if they knew the real you! Not at all babe... Are you going to let you secret hold you back from being who God created you to be any longer? I propose that you don't... :)

With more care than you can imagine,
JEN

P.S. There are some secrets that I mentioned above that need legal attention. I have a friend who is a professional counselor who will be writing a post about those issues soon!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Thought-Filled Thursday!

I have a tendency to sweat the small stuff. Maybe you do too? A really good friend asked me once, will it matter a year from now? A month? Or maybe even a week? I guess my thought for the day is, "Is what I'm upset about really worth my time?" Maybe this will help you in the next week. :D

Love, Kat

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Now is the Time...

Sorry, I'm a day late in posting this, but I kinda wanted to combine word-filled Wednesday with my post. Tonight I want to talk to you about time. I know I've posted the verses in Ecclesiastes before, about there being a time for everything and a season for every activity. Well, time has been on my mind a lot lately. I often have 1 Timothy 4:12 on my mind, especially the second part, "set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity."

I have constantly been thinking about Esther 4:14 for a couple of weeks now, "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" My words tonight are simple, now is the time to take a stand for God. Now is the time to protect your purity. Once you give it away, it's gone. God can restore you emotionally and spiritually, but it will not change the decision you made. So be strong NOW, take that stand NOW.

Don't wait until you're in the heat of the moment to make a decision about purity. Take the time to right down YOUR rules today. It helps to have them there so when a time of question comes, you can say "this is what i stand for, take it or leave it." I pray for you girls, that you will be able to stand up for what's right. I know I'm being very short tonight, but this is all I have to say: Now is the time for you to take a stand.

Love, Kat

Friday, July 9, 2010

How many peices is your heart in?


Today's post is going to be an example of what life is like if you do not seek purity... Imagine you have a paper heart. It is cut out perfectly and has no holes, rough edges, or anything. Then one guy comes along and he tells you he loves you. Even though you don't really believe him you give in and tell him that you love him back. It's just a tiny piece, but none the less you give him a piece. A few months later another guy comes along and he takes your first kiss. He doesn't get a huge piece, but that first kiss meant alot to you. So, he gets a medium piece. Guys come and go. You don't do to much with them, yet each one just gets a tiny piece. We are talking very tiny. Then there are those few guys who you thought might be the one and so you did more physically with them. When they left you had some big pieces missing. Time goes on and before you know it you find the perfect guy! You are going to get married, but on your wedding night when you begin to give your heart to your husband what do you have? Nothing but an old piece of paper that has been trampled on. The shape doesn't even resemble a heart anymore. When he ask who has the other pieces you cant even honestly answer him. There were so many guys. Although some only got tiny pieces they still got a piece of something that now belongs to the guy that you love more than life it self!

I know there are some of you who are reading this and you know full well that you've already given away some of the pieces of you heart. I know I have. Maybe just small pieces or maybe some really big ones. It doesn't matter. The truth is God can heal your heart. There is much debate on whether you can become totally new again. Yes, i do believe you can. I also believe that God lets you keep those memories that may hurt so that you can use them for His glory. You can help other girls! Here are a few verses about broken hearts....

Girls no matter where in this story you fit God still loves and He wants you to be able to give you future husband the best thing possible! Are you honoring God and your future husband now?

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.


With love,
JEN

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Thought Filled Thursday!

A woman's heart should be so lost in Christ that a man must seek His to find hers! ~ Unknown

Word Filled Wednesday!

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Flashback Friday!

I didn't have anything really original on my mind tonight, but I had been talking to some girls about a post I did a while back. So, I decided to do a flashback, but I may also add some more comments... :) If you have read this before I'm sorry, but many of you were not followers then....so, enjoy!

""If you loved me you would have" or "If you love me you will"

These lines are often used by guys who want something out of a girl that they can not have or at least should not have. Now before you get the idea that I'm bad mouthing guys... I'm not! We are just using this as the circumstances. Ok? So, what is "true Love"? I'm just going to point you straight to the word of God! 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says it as simple as you can get!

~1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind, love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,endures all things.~

Now, you can fill in what usually follows from the statements above. I will give you a few ideas... "Baby if you love me you will "do it", "go all the way", "send revealing or nude pictures" , "go behind your parents back", or the simple ones of "kiss me", or "say I love you back"! Whenever these lines are used it typically means that lines have been drawn (congrats!!), but now someone is trying to push them. I want to show you girls today how false this statement is! True Love does not insist its own way (Go check it out... I'm quoting God's word!)! That goes directly against what that person who says those lines is attempting to do. They are trying to get what THEY want.... That would not include what is best for you or even what you want. Also, if you do happen to say no what often happens? They will get irritable and resentful... Is that love? Check back to God's word.... It is NOT!

So, precious sisters in Christ... I beg you to PLEASE take a step back next time you are told this lie... Whether is seems real or not! Examine the situation and see if "true love" would be asking you to do whatever is being asked of you.



Encouraging you to stay strong,

JEN "
 
Have you ever been told these lies? I know I have... There are plenty of guys who when they say they love a girl they mean it, but love has no conditions. Meaning, they shouldn't love you only if you do something for them. Be aware...you do not have to walk around blinded by the world's lies!
 
With care,
JEN