The Quiet Place

God has been really working on my heart lately. Recently he is teaching me more about his deep love and true forgiveness. Showing me that the depths of his mercy are certainly far greater than the depths of mine and indeed greater than I could ever imagine.  God showed me that in my process of attempting to forgive, pride was my barrier. (You'd think it would be obvious right?) Well it wasn't obvious to me right away. But in his gentle and pure grace filled way, God showed me that his forgiveness, and my forgiving someone, has no "buts" about it. God is calling me to love like he loves. And that means I can't hold on to any "buts". I can't say "Okay God, I'll love them since you asked so nicely, but... I'm going to make sure they know what I think." Nope. That's not how it works. God is showing me that I have to give up any and all rights I have in the situation (aka pride). There is no entitlement in forgiveness. Forgi...

You can learn a lot about yourself when things go wrong. This week I had to have my car towed to a mechanic. I have been without it for 5 days and will be for another 2 days. It was extremely stressful to not have my car. I had to figure out how I was going to get to work without a vehicle. And I didn't know how I was going to afford the repairs it needed. BUT God. But God worked everything out. God provided - quickly, conveniently, and blessedly. Between roommates, co-workers, and friends I had a ride to and from work everyday. I was able to go grocery shopping, spend time with friends, and get to church this morning. God knew exactly what I needed before I asked him for it and provided more abundantly then my needs called for. He just poured out his love on me. Feeling BLESSED and LOVED greatly this week.  Philippians 4:19 And God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works fo...

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2 I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed tonight. I am currently searching for new jobs and pondering the future, dreaming of good things and hoping for the least amount of disappointments. There is a lot of life happening right now and I find myself once again needing to fall into the arms of my savior. I can't do this, I need God's help and guidance. Tonight I turn to these verses as my reminders that God is my helper and he is always with me.  Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain the the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:4 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners...

This is a good time of year to re-evaluate, to step back for a moment and look at how our relationship with God is and what we can do to grow closer to him. Though the blog has been quite, I have been learning and growing a lot these past few months. So today I would like to share with you some of the most important things I have taken away from church sermons, bible studies, and Holy Spirit reminders.  Recently my pastor spoke on Intimacy with God. He described Intimacy with God to be like a newly married couple driving in an old car. The Husband driving and the wife sitting as close to him as she can. Then one day when they are old, the wife asks her Husband why he is sitting so far away from her. Looking over from the Driver's seat he responds, what do you mean? I never moved. The lesson being that if we are from from God it is because we have moved away from him, not him from us.   We can draw near to God by maintaining Keystone habits. Keyston...

Something I've been learning this week is that amidst the struggle, God is sovereign. God used a brave young woman from my church to help teach me that. Last night I watched this sermon from a favorite series my church did back in January. On the link I posted, this sister of ours shares her testimony and struggle. The most powerful thing for me from that sermon was that she dared to share her struggle while currently in the midst of it. And though she is struggling, God has used her life to teach and transform the lives of a great many. If that is not a testimony to how great the grace, mercy, and power of our God is, I don't know what is. Moreover, it shows the unlimited grace given to us for our struggle through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. "But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display—the Anointed One died for us." Romans 5:8 VOICE Dear sister, God's grace is suffic...

The current sermon series at my church is called " Love Song ". It's a series were we are learning about singleness, dating, and marriage. Today was the first sermon I was able to hear from this series and it was very fitting. I love that what I am learning at church right now also ties in with our theme this month, "Guarding Your Heart". This morning's sermon had a lot of good things to say. What I will be taking with me today is this passage from Psalm 37... 1  Do not fret because of those who are evil      or be envious  of those who do wrong; 2  for like the grass they will soon wither,      like green plants they will soon die away. 3  Trust in the  Lord  and do good;      dwell in the land  and enjoy safe pasture. 4  Take delight  in the  Lord ,      and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5  Commit your way to ...