I learned so much about myself, my God, and my faith. My True Images Bible I got the idea in my head to read the entire Bible before I went to college I got the idea in my head to read the entire Bible before I went to college. I had never succeeded in finishing the Bible-- I had tried at least two other times to read the whole thing. I had, like most people, gotten bogged down in the Old Testament and just never pushed through. Of course, I had been reading my Bible, but I wanted to read it through its entirety. I wanted to read it before college because I knew that college, and the people I would meet, and the different lifestyles and ideologies I would encounter there would all challenge my faith. It was important to me to read the Bible then to have a refreshed understanding of my faith, and to understand it more before it was challenged.
I was getting ready to go to college, so, as I mentioned, I wanted to strengthen and take charge of my faith. And it was summertime, so I had ample time to dedicate to reading the Bible. I did the math and found that I had to read 16 chapters a day to finish the entire Bible in a summer. Ambitious, I know. If I had stuck to 16 chapters a day, I would have finished the Bible that summer. But, some days I was lax, some days I didn't have the brain power to digest what I was reading, and other days I just didn't take the time. However, I did finish the Old Testament before I left for college. It took me my freshman year of college and the following summer to finally finish the New Testament. I let reading my Bible fall down in my priorities throughout the school year as I adjusted to college, and, when I did sit down to read, I never read 16 chapters at a time. So, while it took me a year and a summer to finish the Bible, I know that at no other time in my life would I have stuck with it and finished (as evidenced by the past attempts).
I also switched churches during high school which hugely enriched and challenged my faith. I've learned about biblical authority (how the Bible is the authority of our faith) so I wanted to actually know what that authority says. I've learned that the entire Bible is about Jesus-- the New and Old Testaments. Life is about a relationship with Jesus. When pursuing a relationship, you learn all you can about the person. This became another reason that I was motivated to read the Bible. What I LearnedThe Bible is an amazing cornerstone to develop our faith lives on I learned a lot from my year-plus of reading the Bible. Overall, I learned that the Bible is an amazing cornerstone to develop our faith lives on. I mean, come on, it's the inspired word of God-- what better to build off of? Some of the biggest concepts in the Bible have to be meditated on and considered and prayed over, and you still might not understand them fully-- and that's okay. Every time I sat down to read my Bible, I would pray to God to send His Holy Spirit to me to help me to read what I needed to read, to hear what I needed to hear, and to see what He needed me to see. I also asked Him for focus and comprehension. I fully believe that praying these prayers before Bible-reading sessions is crucial and changes the experience entirely. The Bible says to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). So why shouldn't we pray for God to help us understand our Christian guidebook?
I will strengthen you and uphold you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still (Exodus 14:14). He is before all things and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3). Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).
There is a two-fold reason that we need to know the word of God. It allows us to wield the sword of the Spirit, which then prevents us from entering the spiritual battle weaponless (Ephesians 6:12-18). Big Takeaways & ApplicationAccept my human flaws and work towards bettering them in the grace of God I have two big takeaways from this journey. I always felt bad for skimping on reading the Bible. I realize that I have to accept my human flaws and work towards bettering them in the grace of God. With this, I made myself a "Stop, Drop, and Word" alarm that goes off every afternoon playing "Control" by Tenth Avenue North to remind me to stop, drop what I'm doing, and spend time studying God's Word. (I am so proud of the punny alarm label!)
a) God's love will never fail you b) He has a plan for your life
This was a personal goal that turned into a backdrop for a spiritual season in my life. As I move to the next one, whatever it might be, I can't forget this; rather, I need to apply what I've learned and grow from it. The idea that hindsight is 20/20 applies almost obnoxiously to spiritual seasons. During them, we tend to be blind to the bigger picture. But, once we trust God, and whenever He decides to show us, we get a glimpse of the eternal perspective and see that everything works together for the glory of God-- and we get to be a part of His amazing plan. Wow.
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My church recently wrapped up a series on spiritual warfare. The last message focused on knowing the Word of God in order to wield the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:13-17). Our pastor challenged us to take the song "You Say" by Lauren Daigle and back it up with truths from the Bible. The Bible is our authority and the foundation of knowing who God is and what He says is true, especially about us. Knowing the Bible prevents us from entering the spiritual battle weaponless. Keep reading for God's promises and truths! photo credit to Billboard "You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing"Nothing can separate us from the love of God Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 8:38 "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Chris Jesus our Lord." "You say I am strong when I think I am weak"We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength Ephesians 6:10 "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." Philippians 4:13 "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength." 2 Corinthians 12:10 "... For when I am weak, then I am strong." Isaiah 40:29 "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." Isaiah 41:10 "... I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." "You say I am held when I am falling short"He reached down and took hold of me Psalm 73:23 "Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand." Psalm 139:10 "Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Colossians 1:17 "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." 2 Samuel 22:17 "He reached down from on high and took hold of me, He drew me out of deep waters." "When I don't belong, You say I am Yours"I have called you by name, YOU ARE MINE Romans 1:6 "And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ." Psalm 100:3 "Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture." Romans 14:8 "... So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." Isaiah 43:1 "But now thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." "In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity"Heir, child of God, new creation, spirit of power, His workmanship, righteous Galatians 3:29 "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
John 8:35 "Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever." 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, the new has come." 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." John 1:12 "But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." Throughout the last year, through family crises, life changes, including moving to college, and general growth, I have found a solid group of ladies who make my life better and support me in all my aspirations. I have also realized how many little girls are around me, looking to me as an example for how to live as a young woman by God's design and someone who positively contributes to the world around her. All of these women and young ladies are so critical to my personal development and I couldn't imagine life without them. Why it's important to have a strong group of ladies, of all ages, surrounding youPhoto from Pinterest Older women, as mentorsWomen who are older than you have already gone through the life stage that you are living. They have either made the decisions that you have made and can share their experience, have made a different decision and can tell you why, or have made a related decision and can share any 20/20 hindsight that they have gained. They have a better sense of the bigger picture. These women will inspire you. All of the older women in your life live in ways that you either do or don't aspire to. They either embody the way you want to parent, run a business, focus your career, live your life, or they don't. But, you can learn from them either way. They are your mentors. These women have taken an interest in you. They might be your blood relatives, family friends, old teachers, bosses, etc., but that doesn't really matter-- they have taken an interest in your success, whatever the relationship. Use their time wisely, and learn from their experiences. Peer-aged women, as cheerleaders and challengersThese are the women who are your own age. They help you to enjoy each stage of your life, as you live it. They help you to live in the moment-- not to look back nor worry about the future. They understand everything that you are facing because they are facing it at the same time. They will cheer you on in your endeavors. They will also push you to achieve your goals. If any of your peers are further ahead in building a family, developing their careers, etc., they can lead you in your own path. They will cheer you in your own budding relationships and new jobs, and they will also pose as a goal, a challenge, for you to chase after. A circumstance that you see your friend in might inspire you to take hold of a promising circumstance in your own life. Younger women, as your audienceIt is so important to acknowledge the group of young ladies who look up to you. These younger women and girls, you can't choose. You can choose your mentors and your friends, but you never know which little girl might be watching you in any given moment. It could be your niece, your little cousin, your mom's friend's daughter or granddaughter, or the daughter of your family friend. You are a rock-star lady in their eyes! You aren't an authority figure to them, so, instead, they see you as a friend. They know that you aren't like their friends of their own age-- you are a different kind of intriguing to them. Take this as a true responsibility and honor, and rise up to the challenge. These are the women of the future and they need good role models. Their parents, teachers, and relatives will all lead them, but you have been chosen by them to also lead them by example. Live in a way that would make your grandmother proud and your 9-year-old self want to be your best friend. Always look to encourage the women around you, regardless of age. If you feel yourself begrudgingly comparing your life to those of others, start to replace those negative thoughts with healthier ones, such as drawing inspiration from her life for how you want yours to look. Or, reach out to these women and get their story, discover their "tricks", figure out what their inspiration is. Maybe even start a friendship or two.
A glimpse of my inspiration board I have read other blog posts about why everyone should have a vision board or an inspiration wall for the last few years-- pretty much since I began reading blogs! Every blogger seems to have 2 cents to throw in about these collections of personal inspirations. While reading about them, I never thought I needed one or could benefit from one. After all, this was when I was a high school student, I wasn't really focusing on the point in my life where I would need inspiration to spring board from. Now, after a year of college, I'm beginning to make myself focus on making a plan beyond "Become Successful". What do I want from life? What do I want to do with the life I've been given? These are big questions. Note: I am not saying that these will magically be answered by inspiration boards! However, I have finally gotten to the point in my life that I am beginning to see the pros and purpose of these boards. They help to focus our thoughts, to keep us motivated. When we see something that inspires us, it sparks something in us. It stokes the fire within us. My opinion is that things that inspire us, we get that feeling because they will put us one step closer to the paths that God designed us each to be on. We get that feeling because that little piece of inspiration is pointing us in the direction that we are supposed to be going, and that resonates with us, deep in our souls. I won't tell you how to make an inspiration board because it has to be YOURS, from start to finish. Plus, there are all those awesome posts I mentioned before that will give you some tips. I will say, just make it yours. Find those bits and pieces that resonate with you. And don't be afraid of changing it up every once in a while! Enjoy the inspired and creative process of curating your own board. Some things I included on my board...
You could use a wall and tape, picture frames, a bulletin/ magnetic/ wipe-off board, any number of things! Personally, I already had a ribbon board hanging above my desk that I decided to revamp. Tip: if your pictures and pages are too small for the ribbons to hold or if they begin to curl off the board, use straight pins to hold back the corners. You can see some of mine in the picture above: I pushed the pins away from the pages and then used the heads to tuck the corners behind.
Have fun! Let me know what cool things you include on yours! Is collaboration or competition more successful? Photo from: Hines-Sight Blog Speaking in terms of an overarching approach to group situations, is collaboration or competition a better vehicle towards personal success?
I believe that collaboration is. Of course, you can benefit from having a healthy, competitive spirit to keep you working towards improving your self. But beyond that, I have seen that collaboration truly helps individuals to succeed in any group, such as a class or a work environment. Part of being a collaborator is being excited for the success of your coworkers and/or classmates. Rather than trying to compete with them, take notes, learn from your competitors and peers. Don't drag down others for their success, even if you were also going for that certain accomplishment. Be a humble competitor and congratulate those who win awards and achieve success in your field. Learn from them and keep these valuable contacts as mentors. We can all learn from each other, we just have to be willing to collaborate and be happy for our peers. |
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