The Battle is Not Yours

“No matter what you are going through,

Remember that God only wants a chance to use you

For the battle is not yours, it’s the Lord’s” -Yolanda Adams

 

Bear with me as I attempt to describe a professional wresting match for the comparison to the fight of life. Now, I watched a few wrestling matches back in the ninties, but other than that, my knowledge on wrestling is limited.  

Okay, so picture yourself as this awesome wrestler in the ring for the fight of your life. You think you are pretty good to go, until you see your opponent. It’s a guy 3 times your size, strong, skillful, and great on his feet.  You are in the ring fighting against the enemy, the devil.  You have jumped in the ring when you should have let your partner handle the fight from the beginning. Jesus, your partner, is on the sideline with his hand out waiting for you to tap him in so that he can defeat your opponent. But, we’ve carried on in a match that was never ours from the start.

 

We may be in this wrestling ring thinking we are doing pretty good. Life is going great. Everything is going smoothly and you are “winning” this match of life. But thank God for life’s hardships.

You see, life’s burdens aren’t meant to break us, but to bring us closer to God. It’s at this point when your burden seems too hard to bear that you realize that this match that you have thought you have been "winning" on your own, you have actually been failing at miserably. You’re bloodly, you’re tired, you’re outmatched. It’s then that you realize that your partner, God has been there all along waiting for you to call out to him.

 One quality to used of God is weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9, James 4:8) This battle of life can never be done on our own. We must seek and depend on the heavenly Father. Even when life may appear to be going well on our own strength, realize that without God you are losing terribly.

 

All we have to do is tag team Jesus in and let him defeat the enemy.  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 2 Thessalonians 2:8. God is greater, stronger than any opponent. Without God we are nothing. We are no match to the powers of hell on our own, but with God, and with his Spirit we can do all things! (Phillipians 4:13, Mark 9:23, Psalm 18:29).  So, stop thinking you can make it through this life on your own. Tap God in. Let him fight the battle for you.

 

Our God is greater, our God is stronger,

God you are higher than any other.

Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.

And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.

And if our God is for us, then who could stand against.

                          What can stand against.

Content in Singleness (part 2)

Okay, so, my rambling in my previous blog serves as a precursor to what I want to discuss in this blog here. I was the girl who thought more about getting married than serving Christ (and this was me like last year), and now, God has changed my heart. I am so content in Christ. When I heard people talk about God being enough, I was like yeah right. But, now, I totally get it. Jesus gave me a visual for it, and I hope to clearly write it out for you :)

Okay, so picture your favorite buffet. I'll choose Golden Corral. Now, this metaphor compares God to the main course and a husband to the dessert. When you eat a huge meal, you are so full and not thinking of consuming another bite.  When you are truly full on God, he will be enough. You're so set on your life in Christ that it's hard to think of consuming another "bite." However, if you're like me, just because you're stuffed doesn't mean you won't think of dessert. Yes, you'll think about it (dessert/men), but you have to make sure you're ready to consume more, otherwise you'll throw up everything and make a huge mess. If you are not ready for your dessert, and you eat more anyways you'll end up worse than if you would have just waited patiently for your time to come. If we're not ready for a relationship and get up for our "dessert" anyways, then a huge mess will ensue.

 

Now, a man is like a dessert, but it's not something to substitute  for the real meal. Jesus is the real deal, the main course, the meat. Jesus is all you need, just how you need your substantive meals every day. A dessert (man) is nice, but it's not everything and something you necessarily need.

There is a reason we should eat our meat before our cookies. Our meals provide our nutrition to get through our days, and dessert provides a boost. We need to feed on Christ first. When he says it's time, then he'll send you may send you  a little dessert. :) So don't get discouraged when you see all your friends with brownies or cheesecake, focus on that steak in front of you now. Enjoy your singlehood, because hopefully it won't last forever!

Don't get me wrong here, there is nothing wrong with being in a relationship. 1 Corinthians 7 gives an awesome view of both the married and single Christian. But, people, when you're single you are free to do more for Christ. 1 Corn 7:34 says, "An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit." So while you're waiting on your (dessert) spouse to arrive, act like a waitress and serve. Be about the Lord's business and enjoy this season for there is a time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Andddd, remember, just because you're single doesn't mean you're being punished or that there is something wrong with you. I remember doing small things in church like setting up the microphones, and this guy would always tell me, "You're next for a relationship!" And well, I wasn't, I wasn't even 5th. But God knows the heart, and when you work, do it for the Lord not for a particular blessing.

is to serve Christ.

Love you all.

Singleness

Singleness. Ugh. That one word that was enough to make me cringe in the years past has now become a blessing.

I remember being in middle school, and someone asking me if I was single. I lamely replied, "Single like a slice of cheese!" In high school, when asked the same question, I embarrassedly said, "yeah." Now that I am a 22 year old, college graduate (in 14 days!) this single season has now all of a sudden become no joke. Eighty percent of my friends are either married, with kids, or in a serious relationship. I'm not going to lie, this is not how I planned my life to be at all. I thought I was going to 21 and married, but God thought otherwise. And that is totally cool.

I am frustrated at myself bowing my head in shame or awkwardly laughing anytime someone asked me if there was a man in my life. The thing is that we are so much more than a relationship status. I am frustrated that I spent too much time and energy planning out of wedding, talking to no good guys, or just simply wasting my time because I thought I would be whole if I could somehow find my husband.

Ladies, we're not even supposed to be looking for our husband!
He'll find us in God's perfect timing.

The truth is in the Christian woman community, I find us talking more about our Boaz arriving or our Adam waking up than we do about Jesus. Don't get me wrong, it is totally cool to talk about these things, but not when they become all we talk about. I am talking to myself here, when I say, I yearned more my man entering my life than I did Jesus. God is not going to bless you with anything you make an idol of. -Heather Lindsey.
 
I'm writing this blog because I've seen it all too much. Too much emphasis on being a good wife and not on being a good Christian. We're here to serve Christ, then our husbands, then our children. The thing is that I got it mixed up for years, and I see it now in so many other young women and it hurts my heart.

*Drops mic*

I'll explain more in my next blog. Stay tuned for part 2!

Peace & Love

After the Chains Are Gone

My chains are goneI've been set freeMy God, my Savior has ransomed me- Chris Tomlin’s “Amazing Grace”

I have been feeling led to write this blog post since summer, but I have not gotten around to it because I am still growing in my understanding of freedom. There are some days that I question if God has truly set me free. For years, spiritual chains and shackles consumed my life. 

There’s this lyric from Christian rapper KB’s song “Doubts”: 
I'm a grown man but I feel like I have the same struggles I dealt with since I was a teen
Sometimes I feel like I'm one sin from you saying that you are done with me
Am I deceived, Am I deceived? 

It makes me realize that we serve a God who takes our struggles, shortcomings, failings, issues, and chains. Everything that we may struggle with, we have to know that Christ already died and rose again for them. It’s not something we have to question or wonder why, it’s something he just does for us because we are his children. 

The thing is that we doubt. We doubt God’s power, we doubt ourselves, we doubt our situations. 

You see that the word explicitly says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” John 8:36.  “And you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:32.  John 14:6. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to…set the oppressed free” Luke 4:18.

Jesus came to save the world (John 3:16-17). He came to give us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). He has already given us our freedom. 

I remember crying at the altar one Sunday at church for God to free me and forgive me. And He said something so simple like, “I already have.” GOD ALREADY HAS FREED US! It’s our doubts that make us question his power and his power that he has given us. 

Jesus didn’t pray for healing of our diseases, minds, and spirits because he has already done it. He prayed for our faith! (Luke 22:32). 

And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” Matthew 17:20. (Mark 16:18) This is for our spiritual mountains too!  

God wants us to believe in his power and the power that he has given us. If demons flee at the sound of God’s voice, then they should at yours too. That same Spirit that rose Christ from the grave is in you! (Romans 8:11). 

Honestly, if we believe and activate our faith in Christ, those chains that presumably have us locked away should melt away like wax. It is also important to remember that this battle is spiritual. Know your weapons (Ephesians 6:10-18) and use them daily. Christians don’t get a break, we are in a fight for our souls everyday.  Jesus commands us to pick up our crosses daily, (Matthew 16:24) but the awesome thing is that we serve a God who will help us carry them too. 

Too often our chains are already broken, but we stay there because we don’t know we can get up. If you are still locked up, do what Paul and Silias did. They prayed and praised God until they were free (Acts 16:16-40). 

And if you struggle with your faith, ask God to help your unbelief. (Mark 9:24). He is a God who understands. 

 http://youtu.be/V7eZD3TKn_M ~Mary Mary's Shackles :)

Love, 

Courtney 

East to West

Today I cried my eyes out. Today I surrender all. 

I am writing this with an extreme revelation from God. I have struggled with forgiving myself. Forgetting my past. Letting go of my sins and letting God wash me white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) 

Basically, my guilt  meant that I believed that the blood of Jesus is not strong enough to cover my sins. But what does the blood of Jesus do? It remits sin, gives life, justifies, saves us from wrath, it redeems.  (Matt. 26:28, John 6:53, Romans 5:9) I have been walking around with this belief that God can do everything for anybody but me. Don’t get me wrong, I know that God is all powerful. But somewhere deep down, I guess I’ve always figured that I wasn’t good enough. 

There’s this new word to me: grace. Well, maybe it’s not really new, but it’s meaning is becoming extraordinarily new to me. It can’t be measured, it can’t be earned, it will never stop for those whom love God. Grace is Free and unmerited favor of God. 

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

God is grace, he is mercy, he is love. Guess what? He loves you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3). 

All of this is sort of a hard concept to grasp. Like, I am so unworthy, but I hear God saying “You are worth my love.” You see, even if everyone on earth was righteous and it was only you who were not, God still would have come down and died on the cross for you. He loves you that much. 

I know my natural mind will never fully be able to rationalize this concept, but I know with spiritual eyes I can begin to see this kind of forgiveness rationally. 

So as I was talking to my sister today, my inadequacy of believing I am unworthy of forgiveness came up. It was like the Holy Spirit spoke through  my sister.

"There is no sin too great that the blood of Jesus can’t cover. When Jesus died on the cross he took the weight of every sin upon himself. It was during that time that darkness fell, and God turned his face from him (Matthew 27:45-46). He took murder, fornication, homosexuality, suicidal thoughts, greed, pride, or whatever. HE TOOK EVERYTHING. Period. He has taken our sins and thrown it into the sea of forgetfulness! (Micah 7:19) It is not our call to go pick that weight back up. If God has forgotten, then you should too. "

P.S.- I wrote on sticky notes some promises of God to help me remember all that he has done and all that he has promised to do. I have placed these on the wall beside my bed, and I plan to read them everyday if needed. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17. So I will speak it until I see and believe it. I think it’s a great idea, so feel free to do the same!



P.P.S- Watch this video. It is so beautiful and expreses God’s loving forgiveness towards us awesomely. http://youtu.be/RwX_EpNR4CA  

God took your place on the cross. Let him have your guilt, your shame, and your sins. He is not a God of condemnation. 

Repent and keep moving forward. 

Love, 
Courtney 

Disobedience

Recently, I read over 1 Samuel 15, and I could not help but to see Saul’s disobedience relate to mines. Saul is one of the most interesting men in the Bible to me. He was a guy who had it all: the crown, money, fame, and God, but he lost it all because he put his material possessions and himself above the true and mighty (Mark 8:36). When we are disobedient, we are doing the same thing as Saul. We’re putting ourselves, our fears, or other people above God.

Just last week, me and about ten other girls had a marriage ceremony to Christ. In this ceremony we spoke our vows, put on our purity rings,  and dedicated our entire lives (mind, soul, body, spirit) to Jesus. Through this whole experience, a sisterhood was built. Together we work to encourage each other to live pure lives. About two years ago, God called me to start this ministry. So, summer 2013 I worked with God to write a six week series entitled “What Makes Us Fall into the Pattern of Fornication So Easily?” It explored the absence of God in our spiritual walks, things that happened to us in our past, dating the wrong men, and different things that lead us to go astray. God had prepared me to do his work, but I stayed stuck and didn’t move on his task. Why? Because I was afraid. My past disqualifies me from being a person to even speak about purity, but God qualified me. It wasn’t until February 2014 that I actually began the series. And I thought that after I had done my six weeks, I was done. But the work for the Lord is never done. So this past semester, God helped me write a series entitled “Married with Christ.” The truth is that I, like Saul, put my own ideology before God's. I was disobedient with the task he asked me to do. 

These are some of the amazing pictures from our marriage ceremony

We are called to do God’s will. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21. Even when it is hard, or difficult we are called to do God’s will. Trust me, it was hard for me to step out of my comfort zone to start this ministry, but it was possible (Philippians 4:13).

 I want to be like Jesus. Who in the garden of Gethsemane was distressed and grieved, yet he  still asked for the Father’s will to be done. Matthew 26:39. You see, when we do God’s will, it is not for us, but for his glory. Doing his will may not only just help us but others as well. So it’s crucial that we don’t allow disobedience to take a hold of us.
 
 (So, as I was reading 1 Samuel 15, I saw disobedience throughout. And, I saw myself. I suggest you flip open your Bible so that it may be easier to understand and follow along. To sum it up, God gave Saul a task: destroy the Amaleks. But Saul kept the king and all of the good animals).Here are my notes:

God’s ways are always just even when we don’t understand (1 Samuel 15:2-3). We like to think we have it all figured out and that we’re smarter than God, but we’re not. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

When we blatantly disobey God‘s instructions, it shows a lack of reverence for God. (1 Samuel 15:8-9)

We think we’re right in our own eyes, so we justify our sins. (1 Samuel 15:15). 

•  For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God   is stronger than human strength 1 Corinthians 1:25.

• For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight 1 Corinthians 3:19.

We cannot add or take away from God’s instructions (1 Samuel 15:20-21).
    Satan led Eve astray in the garden of Eden because he added one word to God’s.     (Genesis 2:17 & Genesis 3:4)

“Obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). If you obey first, you don’t have to worry about making up your own sacrifice. In your obedience, you  do the sacrifice God has already called you to do.

Verse 23: For rebellion is like the sin of divination and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.

  Rebellion is compared to the sin of divination (horoscopes, fortune tellers). Why? Because when we rebel we are seeking out our own future/ways without looking for God. Arrogance = to the evil of idolatry. You are your own god. You put yourself above God’s word.
This verse also reminds me of grace. How many times have I rejected the word of God, but he didn’t reject me? He knows our hearts. Saul’s heart was hardened against God because it was so puffed up for himself. Even though my heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), God understands it. He knew I wanted to do his will, in starting his ministry, even though I operated in fear. Yet, he showed me patience.

Verse 24: Saul states why he was disobedient, “I was afraid of the men and so I gave into them.” I want to remind you of Galatians 1:10-  “Am I trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Verse 33: So,  Samuel carried out God’s instructions that He had given to Saul. But no one can be obedient for you, it’s your choice. Even if Saul had decide to kill King Agag  after Samuel’s visit, it would have been delayed obedience which is still disobedience.

So when God gives you a task to do, you do it immediately. Don’t try to put your human intellect and understanding into it. Let your obedience operate over your intelligence. 

Peace & Love

Rest.

This season in my life has been wonderfully full. I have been busy working for the Lord, working on my school work, and working at my two jobs. I recently came to the realization that I barely make time for myself to just rest. So, today, I determined to spend my Saturday hanging out with myself, my cat, and most importantly, Jesus. 

Me and the beautiful Jesus

“So on the seventh day he rested from all his work” Genesis 2:2

Rest is particularly important, if it wasn’t then God wouldn’t have done it. 

I can become so busy that I don’t take the time to focus on myself. Even though today I was determined to spend the day with just myself today, I had to still serve. Jesus has blessed me so much during this time in my life that I realize that I find myself by being around others and serving. 

I am a people person simply put. I know it is easy for me to complain that I am so busy all of the time, but I realize that years ago I had nothing to do. I prayed for God to use me and that is exactly what he has been doing. Even on my days of rest, I still have to work for the Lord. 

Minus the few hours it took to support and help out some people, the day was spent with  four of the most important men in my life (God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit,  and my cat haha). I realize that we can become so busy working for the Lord that we forget the Lord. Spending time with Christ is essential to our Christian walk. 

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:12-14. 

Quiet time with Christ should be apart of all of our daily lives. I know that when I am not spending enough time with Christ the works of my flesh start to arise. Last night and earlier today I felt the spirit of depression trying to get to me. I thank God that He lets me know when the enemy is trying to attack. The devil’s schemes are nothing new, he tries the same old things. I knew I had two options: lie in bed and let sorrow sweep over me or go to God and give him my burdens (Matthew 11:28-30). 

God wants you to come to him so that he can give you rest. Come to him by spending to with him. Set aside time in your life to just rest in his presence. 

Get thirsty for Jesus  so that you can get your well needed rest.

I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:35