Through it ALL
As I sit trying not to hack up a lung, thinking back over the last year, I, like so many others think of everything I have to be grateful for. I wonder, though, how many of us stop and consider how much growing and maturing we have done in the course of the last year(s).
If I were to sit and read every blog I posted this last year I believe I would see the maturing, growing change. God walked me through challenges and fought battles for me. I have evidence of this in a lot of areas of my life.
I brought in the year 2019 by going to bed by 12:10 am. Yes I am getting older but having no voice requires more work when communicating and so I retired earlier than usual.
Several things that God really brought to my attention the last couple of weeks are reminding me again and again "to do what is right, to love mercy, to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8b NLT)
"To do what is right" means that sometimes you walk with God alone through this world. For whatever reason I have had that experience a lot the last year. I have family that loves me, friends that care deeply, and yet....at that moment for that time period I was called by God to walk alone working through whatever it was He wanted me to learn, mature, and grow from .
One of those "walking alone with God" moments has been my entire life as a single woman, striving to become the woman of God that God wants me to be. I am going to step out here and say something that I believe has needed to be said for a long time. You who read this may be single, married, dating , engaged, whatever it maybe and I think it is a good thing to ask oneself. "How does a single unmarried not dating young person seeking God feel when someone asks them why they are not married yet or why they aren't dating"? I know you mean it genuinely because you care and deeply but the deep soul searching to find the contentment and peace that I had before the subject of my "singleness" came up is hard. Maybe God has called me to be single for the duration of my lifetime because of some ministry He has called me to. Maybe God has called me to be married but not until I am 55 years old. Maybe you and I do not know what God has called me to because He has not yet revealed His perfect plan for my life at this moment and the best thing any of us can do is dig deep into the Word of God and lay a foundation under each other that will withstand the Enemy for decades to come. How you treat others and things you say dive deep into the hearts of some of us and it takes time, prayer, and Bible time with God to get past those things. The Apostle Paul says it best.
1 Corinthians 7 NLT
"1 Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. 2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.
3 The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. 4 The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.
5 Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.
8 So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9 But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.
10 But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. 11 But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.
12 Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. 13 And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. 14 For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. 15 (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) 16 Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?
17 Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. 18 For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. 19 For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.
20 Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. 21 Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it. 22 And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. 23 God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. 24 Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.
25 Now regarding your question about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain as you are. 27 If you have a wife, do not seek to end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married. 28 But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, those who get married at this time will have troubles, and I am trying to spare you those problems.
29 But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. 30 Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. 31 Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.
32 I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. 33 But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. 34 His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.
36 But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin. 37 But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry. 38 So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.
39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord. 40 But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this."
Not everyone is suppose to be single, not everyone is supposed to be single their entire life, not everyone is supposed to be married, not everyone is supposed to get married when they did, not everyone truly understands what God has called everyone else too. I do not know what God has called you too and I am not asking to know. I know that for this moment at this time in my life God has called me to be single and for the record I don't know that I am missing out on anything.
God has taught me to strive to take my thoughts captive and there are days when someone says something out of the deep genuine caring part of their heart that means I end up at home on my knees in tears to God striving to take my thoughts captive yet again because I know that this is where God called me.
James 1:19 says We must be QUICK to listen, SLOW to answer, and even SLOWER to get angry. God has convicted me of this over the last two years and even though it is hard there are times when I look back and see how keeping my thoughts to myself and not giving an answer made all the difference in a situation. To take my thoughts captive and not let them spill out. This is something God and I will be working on the rest of my life.
The bottom line is that I need to be careful what I say and when I say it so that I do not interfere and become a stumbling block to others, believers or non believers alike.
It has been a long 2018 year. For so many reasons. The ages of 30 something bring so many emotional and physical changes that sometimes are not helpful when working and striving to change on a spiritual growing level.
My previous blog post tells any one who has read it how Aug ended. And as I headed into September and Bethlehem season hit full force, my job and I about had multiple go rounds. And while it took 6 weeks to 2 months before I found myself back to any sort of normal feeling after Aug I can honestly say I am not the one who won the battle over the Demon, I am not the one who brought me back to some what normal feeling, I am not the Victor. I am the Soldier cheering with the Victor who is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Emmanuel, God with me(us), Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Victor of sin and Death. He has already won the battle. And I fight with Him.
John 16:33 NIV " I have told you these things so that in Me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take Heart! I have overcome the World."
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Jesus said it Himself. We will have trouble, but how many of us actually TAKE HEART? How many of us choose to ignore the nudging's of Christ in our lives? How many of us don't take our thoughts captive? How many of us let whatever we think roll off our tongues without thought to anyone around us? How many of us don't act on the convictions God has laid on our hearts and souls? How many of us worry about what was, what is and what might be? How many of us don't seek the support of other believers when we can't go it alone with just God and our Bible?
I am as guilty as anyone of you who read this. Trust me. I am a sinner as guilty as the man or woman convicted of murder sitting on death row. The difference is that I accepted Christ and am striving to let Him lead, mold, change, and grow me into the woman He wants me to be .
So as 2019 starts off think on these things as I am and will be doing:
James 1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry"
Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."
Galatians 5:1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law."
Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"
Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
I really have come to depend on His Word! It is a source of comfort, encouragement, love, and growing pains. And there are several of you I have come to depend on for Bible based encouragement and loving support without condemnation.
Because no matter what I have been through God is good, All the time, He put this song of praise, in this Heart of mine and I will continue to sing that God is Good!
What will you and I be learning in 2019? I can't wait to find out!
If I were to sit and read every blog I posted this last year I believe I would see the maturing, growing change. God walked me through challenges and fought battles for me. I have evidence of this in a lot of areas of my life.
I brought in the year 2019 by going to bed by 12:10 am. Yes I am getting older but having no voice requires more work when communicating and so I retired earlier than usual.
Several things that God really brought to my attention the last couple of weeks are reminding me again and again "to do what is right, to love mercy, to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8b NLT)
"To do what is right" means that sometimes you walk with God alone through this world. For whatever reason I have had that experience a lot the last year. I have family that loves me, friends that care deeply, and yet....at that moment for that time period I was called by God to walk alone working through whatever it was He wanted me to learn, mature, and grow from .
One of those "walking alone with God" moments has been my entire life as a single woman, striving to become the woman of God that God wants me to be. I am going to step out here and say something that I believe has needed to be said for a long time. You who read this may be single, married, dating , engaged, whatever it maybe and I think it is a good thing to ask oneself. "How does a single unmarried not dating young person seeking God feel when someone asks them why they are not married yet or why they aren't dating"? I know you mean it genuinely because you care and deeply but the deep soul searching to find the contentment and peace that I had before the subject of my "singleness" came up is hard. Maybe God has called me to be single for the duration of my lifetime because of some ministry He has called me to. Maybe God has called me to be married but not until I am 55 years old. Maybe you and I do not know what God has called me to because He has not yet revealed His perfect plan for my life at this moment and the best thing any of us can do is dig deep into the Word of God and lay a foundation under each other that will withstand the Enemy for decades to come. How you treat others and things you say dive deep into the hearts of some of us and it takes time, prayer, and Bible time with God to get past those things. The Apostle Paul says it best.
1 Corinthians 7 NLT
"1 Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. 2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.
3 The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. 4 The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.
5 Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.
8 So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows—it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9 But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.
10 But for those who are married, I have a command that comes not from me, but from the Lord. A wife must not leave her husband. 11 But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to him. And the husband must not leave his wife.
12 Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. 13 And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. 14 For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy. 15 (But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the believing husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.) 16 Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?
17 Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches. 18 For instance, a man who was circumcised before he became a believer should not try to reverse it. And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should not be circumcised now. 19 For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.
20 Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. 21 Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it. 22 And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. 23 God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. 24 Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.
25 Now regarding your question about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain as you are. 27 If you have a wife, do not seek to end the marriage. If you do not have a wife, do not seek to get married. 28 But if you do get married, it is not a sin. And if a young woman gets married, it is not a sin. However, those who get married at this time will have troubles, and I am trying to spare you those problems.
29 But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. 30 Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. 31 Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.
32 I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. 33 But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. 34 His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.
36 But if a man thinks that he’s treating his fiancée improperly and will inevitably give in to his passion, let him marry her as he wishes. It is not a sin. 37 But if he has decided firmly not to marry and there is no urgency and he can control his passion, he does well not to marry. 38 So the person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.
39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but only if he loves the Lord. 40 But in my opinion it would be better for her to stay single, and I think I am giving you counsel from God’s Spirit when I say this."
Not everyone is suppose to be single, not everyone is supposed to be single their entire life, not everyone is supposed to be married, not everyone is supposed to get married when they did, not everyone truly understands what God has called everyone else too. I do not know what God has called you too and I am not asking to know. I know that for this moment at this time in my life God has called me to be single and for the record I don't know that I am missing out on anything.
God has taught me to strive to take my thoughts captive and there are days when someone says something out of the deep genuine caring part of their heart that means I end up at home on my knees in tears to God striving to take my thoughts captive yet again because I know that this is where God called me.
James 1:19 says We must be QUICK to listen, SLOW to answer, and even SLOWER to get angry. God has convicted me of this over the last two years and even though it is hard there are times when I look back and see how keeping my thoughts to myself and not giving an answer made all the difference in a situation. To take my thoughts captive and not let them spill out. This is something God and I will be working on the rest of my life.
The bottom line is that I need to be careful what I say and when I say it so that I do not interfere and become a stumbling block to others, believers or non believers alike.
It has been a long 2018 year. For so many reasons. The ages of 30 something bring so many emotional and physical changes that sometimes are not helpful when working and striving to change on a spiritual growing level.
My previous blog post tells any one who has read it how Aug ended. And as I headed into September and Bethlehem season hit full force, my job and I about had multiple go rounds. And while it took 6 weeks to 2 months before I found myself back to any sort of normal feeling after Aug I can honestly say I am not the one who won the battle over the Demon, I am not the one who brought me back to some what normal feeling, I am not the Victor. I am the Soldier cheering with the Victor who is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Emmanuel, God with me(us), Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Victor of sin and Death. He has already won the battle. And I fight with Him.
John 16:33 NIV " I have told you these things so that in Me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take Heart! I have overcome the World."
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Jesus said it Himself. We will have trouble, but how many of us actually TAKE HEART? How many of us choose to ignore the nudging's of Christ in our lives? How many of us don't take our thoughts captive? How many of us let whatever we think roll off our tongues without thought to anyone around us? How many of us don't act on the convictions God has laid on our hearts and souls? How many of us worry about what was, what is and what might be? How many of us don't seek the support of other believers when we can't go it alone with just God and our Bible?
I am as guilty as anyone of you who read this. Trust me. I am a sinner as guilty as the man or woman convicted of murder sitting on death row. The difference is that I accepted Christ and am striving to let Him lead, mold, change, and grow me into the woman He wants me to be .
So as 2019 starts off think on these things as I am and will be doing:
James 1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry"
Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."
Galatians 5:1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law."
Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"
Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
I really have come to depend on His Word! It is a source of comfort, encouragement, love, and growing pains. And there are several of you I have come to depend on for Bible based encouragement and loving support without condemnation.
Because no matter what I have been through God is good, All the time, He put this song of praise, in this Heart of mine and I will continue to sing that God is Good!
What will you and I be learning in 2019? I can't wait to find out!
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