I know itβs been a while...
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All you single ladies! ππ» Today I have a new post on @laneofroses talking about finding peace in singleness. Link is in bio for full post but read below for an excerpt.
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βI am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.β - John 14:27
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"Do you have a boyfriend? When is a man going to snatch you up? Are there any prospects?" These were the questions I was asked by extended family when we were attending my cousin's wedding back in December. Out of nine grandchildren, he and his brother are the only ones married. I am the oldest of four, recently turned twenty-six, and have never dated. Not one date, not one invite. When I was younger, during high school and even my first two years of college, singleness, in a way, did bother me. In high school I saw all my girl friends bring their boyfriends to proms and go on double dates. One friend even hid her relationship from me because she knew I had a crush on the guy who became her boyfriend. I saw guys I was attracted to in college end up with other girls, all of them married now. Is it emotionally taxing as the single one to watch friends and prospects date other people and get married, to see all the engagement and wedding photos on social media? It certainly can be, but we have to remember that having a relationship, being married, is not the end goal in life. In fact, it's not even the purpose of why we were created in the first place.
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For more, use the link in the bio. And even if you arenβt single anymore, I still recommend reading as thereβs a lot of truth in that applies to all of us.π
#abidecollect
π· @jaydaiye
These past few years Iβve been humbled to be a contributing writer for some amazing ministries. Today I am privileged to share my heart in the newest issue of The Daily Grace Coβs magazine Be Still.
All Iβve been doing, on my blogs, in my articles for other ministries, is simply share the truth that I know Iβve needed to believe in those exact moments - of letting God guide my pen across paper and move my fingers across my keyboard to proclaim His powerful Word back into my own heart and soul to cling to and declare over myself. I donβt have a degree in English but I do have the Holy Spirit in me, equipping me and providing avenues for me to use the gifts God has chosen to bestow upon me. And oftentimes, the truth Iβm preaching to myself is what someone else needs to hear, so in being obedient of taking captive my thoughts, thinking on that which is honorable, lovely, pure, excellent, and worthy of praise, and putting it out there on websites and social media, God uses my own story, my own brokenness, to reach others and vice versa. Iβm not perfect, never will be nor pretend to be, but I serve a God who is and who chooses to use someone like me and even bless me in what may seem like something small, such as having a faith-filled article published, but it gives me joy. Itβs a gift to go on my list of 1000+ to say βthank You God. Thank You for seeing me worthy of being used by You. May You have all glory and honor and praise.β
If youβre interested in learning more about The Daily Grace Co, I do have a link in my bio for you to visit their website, see all their amazing resources for your spiritual walk with the Lord, both for personal study and daily living. #abidecollect #bestillmagazine #thedailygraceco
God commands us to be holy, as He is. He desires for us to be made complete in His righteousness. God never wants us to cater to our fleshly wants, our human tendencies for satisfaction.
Someone close to me has in their kitchen on a small letterboard βdo what makes you happyβ and sadly, this person is engaging in a sinful lifestyle, disobedient to what they know God has said in His Word. This breaks my heart.
To be βhappyβ is a worldly concept & it never ends with us being fully & eternally satisfied. We are left wanting & will go to ungodly lengths to try to fill our voids but in the end, unsatisfied hearts turn to ungodly things for contentment, resulting in sin, and sin leads to destruction & death.
Do not do what makes you happy.
Do what makes you holy, what honors our God, our Savior.
When we pursue being holy like God is holy, we are continuously being sanctified by His Spirit. We are filled with Him. It is only in Christ that we can have joy & that only comes when we seek a righteous life based on Scripture. Earthly happiness never lasts. It is fleeting, temporary, an illusion at best. Holiness will always triumph over happiness in terms of being worth it, duration, and benefits, because thatβs how our finite, human minds determine things. Is holiness worth it? Will it last? What do I get out of it?
This life is not about us, never was & never will be. It is all about our Creator, the One True God who deserves all praise & honor & glory & reverence simply because He is the Great I Am. This life is all about pointing back to Him, to be His hands & feet, ambassadors of His righteous kingdom in heaven to a hurting, broken, incomplete world here on earth. Itβs not enough to claim the title of Christian, to go to church on Sundays & other functions throughout the week. Itβs not enough to have a Bible on your nightstand, never reading it or occasionally or always if youβre not believing what it says & living it out, of being Christlike in that you follow His godly example of how to live - holy, not necessarily happy, but filled with His unexplainable joy.
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Are you going to choose π½πππΎππππ or π½πΆπ
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πΎππππ this week?
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Reflection verses in comments
~β’ | 1.1.19 | β’~
I started thinking only a few days ago what I wanted this yearβs word to be. The last two years I had chosen only verses to focus on & proclaim. These past two months have been such a whirlwind & I just havenβt had the time to reflect much on last year or to think ahead.
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Late last night, less than an hour until the new year, as I laid in bed after work, trying to fall asleep, a word popped into mind that isnβt normally one I think most people would choose. A lot of people choose more upbeat, uplifting, motivational words to encourage & invigorate.
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Mine for 2019?
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ππ¨π§βπ.
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A contraction of βπ°π’π₯π₯β and βπ§π¨π.β
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βThen you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me π°π’π₯π₯ π§π¨π be disappointed." Isaiah 49:23
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In Christ, I π°π’π₯π₯ π§π¨π be disappointed, let down, forgotten, neglected, empty, left to be dejected, broken, called unworthy or unloved, living forever in sorrow. Why? Because He is the opposite of all of that.
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I choose that in 2019 I πππβπ be defeated by the enemy & his attacks. I πππβπ let job rejections determine my worth or deter me from what God has placed in me for passions & gifts. I πππβπ give up hope, slow down my endurance, nor step back from being courageous. I πππβπ apologize or minimize who God made me & how in my uniqueness I can bring Him glory & share His Truth with the world. I πππβπ let this world beat me down & even when others tell me Iβm not enough, I πππβπ believe the lies. I πππβπ let the worldβs timetable of events & expectations prevent me from being content where God has placed me for now. I πππβπ let the fire of my faith be snuffed or my light to be hidden. I πππβπ allow myself to be overwhelmed by temporary, worldly things that God gives me the strength & provision to overcome. I πππβπ let circumstances dictate how vibrant my joy or how strong my trust in Him will be. I πππβπ let the fading things of this world dethrone Christ from ruling in my mind & heart. I πππβπ listen to the worldβs noise but rather fill my ears & mind up with Godβs good Word. I πππβπ lose sight of my promised land, standing firmly on the reality that in Christ, the best is yet to come.
I. ππ¨π§βπ. #abidecollect #peoplehopetribe
The past few years have been challenging for me, for numerous reasons, and this year was no different. I may have finally been able to start off the year with receiving a full time job offer, but that doesnβt mean itβs ideal or one I would have wanted or even one that pays well. I had to start off the year being grateful for what I did have- the simple, at times mundane and redundant manna; the provision that is just enough for a day and week at a time.
Spiritual oppression has been prevalent in my family, coming mostly in the form of physical ailments and illnesses. From one person having salmonella, a broken toe, with the other ankle sprained to others with fractured arms, issues with their gut to insomnia, migraines to various examinations, autoimmune diseases, the devil has had a field day with the Gordonβs and thatβs only what has happened to our bodies! There have been traumatic things weβve had to and are facing.
In all honesty, I had a health scare. In short and all rawness, I found lumps in my chest that came with a lot of discomfort, pressure, and sharp pain. Three mammograms, two chest ultrasounds, and a blood test ruled out cancer and a few other possibilities, but actually left me with more questions than answers. I donβt have a diagnosis, am not on treatment, and the pain comes and goes. Some days itβs strong and others itβs faint but enough for me to be uncomfortable. My dadβs mom died from breast cancer so finding prominent lumps was alarming.
Iβve wrestled with God so much this year, maybe even more than the last three, all of which have tested my faith, hope, trust, and character than ever before. Iβve battled against the devil, his lies and attacks of depression and doubt. Iβve been worn out, exhausted beyond belief, screamed and cried with agony, feeling my heart shattering within me, but have tried to, with the tiniest, fraying thread, still cling to my Savior.
Itβs only because of Him that Iβve endured.
Itβs only because of Him I have life.
Itβs only because of Him that I have seemingly βconquered.β
I bought this necklace from @dearmushkaβs, their conqueror necklace, as I reminder to myself that...
(the rest in comments)ππ»
