Worrying is Not of God

I have been challenged to replace every worry that comes to my mind with a truth about who God is and who I am in Christ. 

So, for example I say and think this all the time: "I am naturally a person who worries about things all the time."

Lie #1: I am a worrier.

Truth #1: I am a daughter of the Most High God.

     *1 John 3:1-2  "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."

Lie #2: I will always be a person who worries a lot.

Truth #2: God will renew my mind when I completely surrender all control to Him.

     *Romans 12:1-2  "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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."

Lie #3: I will always be stressed out because of how much I worry.

Truth #3: God is a God of all-surpassing peace and He is more than enough.

     *Philippians 4:6-7  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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."

In continuation with my previous blog post, I am still reading The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel.  Here are some majorly convicting words:

   "Romans 14:23 says, 'Everything that does not come from faith is sin.' That's pretty clear to me. Worry is the opposite of faith; therefore, it's sin'" (149).

I have never thought of worrying as sinning, but it makes so much sense.  When we worry, we are taking complete control of our lives...telling God that our plan is better than His.  We are looking the Creator of the universe in the face and saying, "I can do this on my own; I don't need you."  Wow.  That we can even say that God and keep on living in the way that we do...

Next time you see someone, ask them how they are doing.  But when they reply, "I'm good", ask them..."No, how are you REALLY doing?"

No one feels "good" all the time.  What is feeling good anyways?  What does that even mean?  Is it a cover-up for really saying, "I am barely holding and the pain is unbearable on but I have to show the world that I have it all together?"  No one is alone.  No one situation is so different that you are alone...Christ suffered in EVERY WAY possible.  He felt every stone thrown at Him, every word hurled at Him, every whip that lashed against His back.  

Hebrews 2:17-18  "For this reason he had to be made like them,fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Let's pray in everything.

before everything.

during everything.

after everything.

The Christian Atheist

"We believe in God, but our lives don't really reflect who He is." (The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel, 36)


My youth pastor from my church back at home gave the sermon this morning and it was essentially about being a Christian Atheist.  Now if you think about this for a minute, that label is scary.  I am definitely guilty of being a Christian Atheist.  I was saved by the grace of God and believe in Jesus but my actions, words, and thoughts can say otherwise.  If we have been transformed by Christ, our lives will show that.  I can never seem to remember that what I have been given, I have been given by Christ and it isn't mine to keep away from others.  My level of generosity and selflessness is low.  I think this all starts with me simply not having God's heart for others all the time.  This forces me to ask myself, do I really know God?  No I mean, do I REALLY know Him?  And not just know about Him, but know Him...intimately.  I want all I do to be motivated by my deep love for Christ, not for the sake of gaining others' approval. 


My favorite passage in the Bible is Psalm 63:1-4


"You, God, are my God, 
   earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
   my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
   where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
   and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
   my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
   and in your name I will lift up my hands."


This is the cry of my heart.  To be able to say to God, "You are MY God and I intimately know you."  I want to seek have an attitude of always seeking, because if we seek God, we WILL find Him.  As we seek and find, we will be consumed with continually seeking and finding Christ.  This does not lead to dissatisfaction, as worldly things do.  God is and will always be bigger than we can even comprehend, but as we seek Him, He will reveal Himself to us and we will be completely satisfied in Him.  


We will be satisfied...NOT complacent.  Being satisfied in God is believing and knowing that God is enough.  Being complacent is staying the same.  When we seek God, we will never be the same.  God satisfies our hunger and thirst.  The Creator molded us and created a hole in our hearts that only He can fill.  However, we try and fill it with things on earth and we end up being even unhappier than when we stared.  This is because none other than the Creator of the universe can fill that void.  


When people look at your life, they will be able to easily tell who or what is most important to you by the amount of time and energy you put into specific things.  If we truly say that we are completely in love with Christ, do our lives show that?  We say that we "feel bad" for people who have no water...do we really?  Do we seriously only "feel bad"?  Does God call us to just "feel bad" for the poor and oppressed?  God wants us to truly be broken for His people, just as He is.  


If we even "feel bad", it maybe lasts for 5 minutes, but then we go back to accidentally leaving the water on or complaining about how the water tastes weird.  Seriously??  I am so guilty of that and it pains me to say that.  God has placed a burden on my heart for the untouchables of this world: orphans, girls in the sex-trafficking industry, and the least/lost/lonely.  But looking at my life...what I am doing EVERYDAY to act on that?  Am I lessening the amount of water I use?  Am I restricting my purchasing?  Am I only buying things that promote the well-being of the poor?  Being broken for God's people requires daily sacrifice. 


Go to slaveryfootprint.org
You will be motivated to radically change your lifestyle.


I need to live simply.
I need to be intentional about my words and actions.
I need to know God.
I need my heart to be in sync with God's heart.
I need to deeply love.

Facebook fast and Swazi bound!

Hello everyone!

Today is Day 1 of the Facebook fast for Lent.  I do recognize that I could have done a Facebook fast earlier in the year which would have resulted in me not being as addicted to Facebook as I am now, but alas, I could never do it…how pitiful! I found myself having A LOT more free time, which was quickly filled up with homework and filling out applications.  I found myself thinking, "this no Facebook thing is gonna be awesome for my studies…I am going to get so ahead on my work!"  Well, that is true, however God quickly reminded me of why I was doing this fast in the first place.  I am taking out the false idols in my life in order to restore God to His rightful place in my life…at the center.  

The thing that took up most of my time today, however, was something that resulted from a 15 minute phone conversation from Atlanta, GA.   In fact, this "thing" has been taking up all of my time for the past 7 days.  It was all I could think about and dream about at night.  I applied for a missions trip to Swaziland with Adventures In Missions' college-age trip.  Last Wednesday I had a phone interview that lasted about an hour.  I was really nervous but as soon as my interviewer opened in prayer, a peace flooded over me and I could answer honestly and talk about my testimony.  Afterwards, she told me that it would be about 7 days until I would hear back about whether or not I could go on the trip.  

Waiting those 7 days, I could do nothing but worry, then surrender to God, worry, then surrender to God over and over again!  The reason why I was so scared was because as I would pray, I felt God telling me to walk through the doors He opens for me.  I strongly viewed the upcoming result of my interview either an open or closed door.  I desperately wanted to go on the trip, but I wanted it to be God's will…not mine.  

Today I was emailed in the late afternoon that they had gotten my phone number wrong! I immediately called and left a message on the answering machine, and at the end I said, "I hope you can call back soon so we can talk because I am dying to know! Okay thanks bye."  He called right back, seriously about 10 seconds later and told me that Passport would love to have me on their Swazi team!  I screamed…out loud.  I am positive that my whole hall heard me.  After composing myself, but still shaking, I visited all my friends' rooms, freaking out about the news! Even thinking about it causes a massive grin to take over my face! It is surreal…I am going to be in Swaziland…for 2 months….doing what God wants me to do and completely depending on Him.  Knowing that this trip is completely in God's hands gives me such a deep peace, especially about finances.  It literally looks impossible, and I can feel satan's attacks, but God WILL provide and He will do it for His Glory.

God has really placed in me an intense hunger to read His Word to know Him, not just know about Him.  Reading for 2 hours a day and just soaking in the love of Christ has been incredible.  I said a prayer about Swazi, thanking God for opening that door and praying that God would give me a complete peace about the finances.  I asked God to give me a verse to literally hang onto as I prepare for Swazi…I opened up to this verse in Luke 4:43 of Jesus proclaiming, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent. And He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea."  

I actually gasped when I read that verse.  I was reminded once again that my purpose here on earth is to preach the good news of the kingdom of God to everyone, everywhere, but specifically to Swazis.  This trip excites me to no end, partially because I am finally REALLY stepping out of my comfort zone…and I know for a fact that God is calling me to do that.  I am going to constantly feel uncomfortable, inadequate, and unqualified…which is the beauty of the sovereignty of God.  I don't think it is a coincidence that right after Jesus proclaims His purpose, He calls the first disciples. In Ezra 7:28 it says, "Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage."  This is my mantra in addition with Philippians 4:6--"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Not my will, but yours O Lord!

Bottom Line: God is SO GOOD and He created the universe…so why can't I trust Him with my life?  By worrying I am saying that I can take care of myself better than God can take care of me…isn't that ridiculous? Praise be to God that He is all-powerful and Holy!