Purpose Driven Life Day 28

Day 28, May 28th, "It Takes Time"

    -Philippians 1:6 says, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." God will continue to do good work in us, it just takes time. There are no shortcuts! The development of Christlike behavior cannot be rushed. "Spiritual growth, like physical growth, takes time." (Rick Warren). We don't grow up to be adults overnight, it takes time. Just like growing up, it is going to take time for us to develop fully to be how God wants us to be. We need to not worry about how fast we grow. We need to be more concerned about how strong we grow because thats what God worries about. God views our lives for eternity. He is developing us to live in eternity. He has our whole lives to develop us. "Before Christ invades our lives at conversion, he sometimes has to 'soften us up' by allowing problems we can't handle." (Rick Warren). God knows exactly what he's doing. He sees our future. Sometimes he has to place things in our lives so that we turn to him. For some of us, it only takes one knock but for most of us, we resist and become defensive and God has to continue to knock on our door to awaken us. We may think we have surrendered our whole life to God but, there's a lot to our lives that we are not aware of. "You can only give God as much as you understand at the moment." (Rick Warren). God continues to take up more territory in our lives until our life is completely his. In today's society, we are obsessed with speed but for God he only cares about strength and stability. Spiritual growth is gradual. There is no quick fix or instant solution. 2 Corinthians 3:18b says, "...our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him."

WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG!
     - God prefers to work in small steps in our lives, why?
     1. We are slow learners.
         - Time and again we have to relearn lessons over and over. We quickly go back to our old habits and need to be retaught things. I know this is true in my life. God places me in situations where I just need to surrender and trust him over and over again because I fail at it all the time. When will I learn to just trust him completely, he has never failed me before.
     2. We have a lot to unlearn.
          - Most of our habits did not develop over night so they are not going to be unlearned over night. It takes time to get rid of old habits and replace them with new. We have to be vigilant in replacing old habits with new habits.
     3. We are afraid to humbly face the truth about ourselves.
         - "The truth will set us free but often makes us miserable first." (Rick Warren). How many times have you held something in and been miserable and then when you finally told someone you felt better? It helps to at least tell one person so they can help you and pray with you. "We cannot grow without a humble, teachable attitude." (Rick Warren). We have to be teachable and humble and admit our mistakes. We can only work on our faults when God shows us the truth.
     4. Growth is often painful and scary. 

         - None of us like to go out of our comfort zone. It's safe. When we stay in our comfort zone the "storm" is smaller then us but, when we go out of our comfort zone the "storm" is greater than us but Jesus is always greater than the "storm". When we reach out of our comfort zone we get into a better life. You can't have growth without change. You can't have growth without fear or loss and no loss is without pain. We must let go of our old ways to experience new and better things. We can't let our hang ups define us.
     5. Habits take time to develop.

  - "Character is the sum total of our habits." (Rick Warren). This is why it is important to practice Christlike behavior. 1 Timothy 4:15 says, "Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress." When we start living with Christlike behavior people are going to notice and see you in a new perspective. It takes repetition. Like any sport, in order to get good at something you have to put in the repetitions. In gymnastics I would repeat skills on the uneven bars until both hands were bloody and my arms were shaking. It takes dedication but once you master the skill its all worth it.

DON'T GET IN A HURRY
     1. Believe God is working in your life even when you don't feel it.
         - God is always working in our lives even when we don't feel it. He is doing small tedious work. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." We go through seasons of spiritual growth. Sometimes we see quick changes but most of the time they are slow gradual changes. "Over time, a slow, steady stream of water will erode the hardest rock and turn giant boulders into pebbles." (Rick Warren).
    2. Keep a notebook or journal of lessons learned.
        - We need to keep a record of what we are learning. Keep a record about life, yourself, relationships, etc. Then, we need to review it regularly. Reviewing it regularly will help us to understand and remember the lessons that we have learned. It can help spare us heartache and pain. Hebrews 2:1 says, "It's crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift off."
    3. Be patient with God and with yourself.
        - One of my favorite quotes from Rick Warren is, "One of life's frustrations is that God's timetable is rarely the same as ours." We are often in a hurry and God is not. God is never in a hurry but he is ALWAYS on time. God uses our whole life to prepare us for eternity. I know for me I am inpatient! I want things NOW but I have to learn patience and TRUST in God's timing. "Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering." (Rick Warren). The more we go through the storms and struggles, the greater are souls become. James 1:4 says, "So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."
     4. Don't be discouraged. 

         - "A delay is not a denial from God." (Rick Warren). If God places a desire on our hearts that doesn't mean its going to happen instantaneously, but it will happen in due time. If you are anything like me you hate due time. Due time is God's time, theres no timeframe for it which is frustrating. In the meantime, we have to remember how far we've come, not how far we have to go. We may not be where we want to be in life, but neither are we where we used to be. God isn't finished with us, we have to keep moving forward and stay positive, not discouraged.

Point to Ponder: There are no shortcuts to maturity.
Verse to Remember: "God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until its finished when Jesus Christ comes again." Philippians 1:6
Question to Consider: In what area of my spiritual growth do I need to be more patient and persistent?

Purpose Driven Life Day 25

Day 25, May 25th, "Transformed by Trouble" 

   - First off, I just want to say that this chapter has been my favorite chapter of the book thus far. It has spoke to me the most and has shown me a different perspective of my troubles. Through all the trials I have been through, this chapter is helping me understand them the most.
    - God has a purpose for every problem that we have in our lives. He uses circumstances to make us more like Jesus. Life is a series of problems. We all go through problems. Not all of them are big but, all are significant in God's growth process for us. 1 Peter 4:12 says, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." God uses the problems in our lives to draw us closer to him. Every problem we have is for a reason. Psalm 34:18 says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Often times in our darkest day are when we have the most intimate experiences of worship and feel closest to God. For me this is definitely true. When I am going through a rough time I draw near to God and feel a close intimate relationship with him. "It is during suffering that we learn to pray our most authentic, heartfelt, honest-to-God prayers." (Rick Warren). We learn things about God and ourselves through our suffering, we draw closer to God. Through my broken heart and suffering I have drawn closer to God then I have ever been before. I feel God's present more and I here his voice clearer. "Problems force us to look to God and depend on him instead of ourselves." (Rick Warren). Living in Arizona after my break-up, I felt very isolated and alone. I prayed more than I have ever prayed before. I read the bible daily and meditated daily. Sometimes God has to get our attention and problems are the only way that he can

get our attention. "You'll never know that God is all you need until God is all you've got." (Rick Warren). For me I think I like being away from family and friends because it makes me draw closer to God, it takes me out of my comfort zone and makes me rely on God more. Now, I am not saying I enjoy being alone and not having friends and family around but, I need my own space and the times when I have moved away and did not know anyone, I felt the closest to God. Everything that happens to a child of God is filtered through God and he intends to use it for good even when Satan and others mean it for bad. Everything has spiritual significance in our lives. Romans 8:28-29 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." This does not mean that God causes everything to work out the way we want it to or that everything always has a happy ending. Only in heaven is everything perfect.  God can bring good out of the worst evil. Life events work together in God's plan. Everything that happens in our life happens for a reason and for a purpose. "God's purpose is greater than our problems, our pain, and even our sin." (Rick Warren). We have to go through battles to appreciate the great things in life.

BUILDING CHRISTLIKE CHARACTER

    - "Every problem is a character-building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber." (Rick Warren). I have been through a lot in my 27 years of life and every event has made me a stronger person, spiritual, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Troubles produce patience - patience produces character. God wants us to be like Jesus so he will take us through the same experiences he went through. We will go through
temptation, loneliness, stress, criticism, rejection, etc. Romans 8:17 says, "We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!" We go through both good and bad times but they are both to build christlike character.

RESPONDING TO PROBLEMS AS JESUS WOULD
    - We have to remember that God's plan is good, he knows what is best for us, he has our best interest at heart. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." When we go through times of trouble this makes it hard for us to trust in God's plan but we need to remember Jeremiah 29:11 and continue to meditate on it to get through the troubles. We need to focus on God's plan and not on our pain and suffering. It is all for God's good.
    - We need to rejoice and give thanks in his love, care, wisdom, power, and faithfulness. God goes through the pain with us and he will never leave us or forsake us.
    - We have to refuse to never give up. It is a slow process. We need to pray conforming prayers. Prayers like "Use this to make me more like you, Jesus" and not prayers of comfort such as "Help me feel good." "You know you are maturing when you begin to see the hand of God in the random, baffling, and seemingly pointless circumstance of life." (Rick Warren). Last Sunday, I went to church and I sat behind the young adult leaders at the church. I was nervous about going to the bible study because I didn't want to be the "old" adult. They talked to me about coming and told me I would not be the old adult and that they would love for me to come. That was all God, God placed me in that seat for a reason! We have to ask God what he wants us to do in every situation. When things go bad or we get in trouble we need to not give up we need to grow up!

Point to Ponder: There is a purpose behind every problem.
Verse to Remember: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Question to Remember: What problem in my life has caused the greatest growth in me?

Purpose Driven Life Day 24

Day 24, May 24th, "Transformed by Truth"

   - Acts 20:32 says, "Now I'm turning you over to God, our marvelous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends." God gives us everything we could possible need. He shows us and tells us in His word. "Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies with truth." (Rick Warren). In order for us to grow spiritually we must fill our lives with the word of God. God speaks things change, everything around us was created by God. "God's Word generates life, creates faith, produces change, frightens the Devil, causes miracles, heals hurts, builds character, transforms circumstances, imparts joy, overcomes adversity, defeats temptation, infuses hope, releases power, cleanses our minds, brings things into being, and guarantees our future forever!" (Rick Warren). God's word is as essential as food to us. We need spiritual nourishment to fulfill our purpose. More often than not believers have "spiritual anorexia". We need to make make abiding in God's word 1st priority:

ABIDING IN GOD'S WORD
    1. I must accept its authenticity
        - God's word is the authoritative standard of life, compass for direction, counsel to listen to make a wise decision, and a benchmark to evaluate everything. Troubles come because we base our choices on, culture (everything everyone is doing), tradition, reason (logical), and emotion. Proverbs 30:5 says, "Every word of God is flawless." We need to see what the Bible says first before we make any decision in our life. There are times in my life where I wish I would have followed exactly what the Bible says, I would be better off. We are not going to get God's blessings if we are not obedient with what His word says.
     2. I must assimilate its truth
         - We must receive the Word of God. We must listen/accept with a open attitude. If we are not learning something from reading the bible or from a sermon we need to check our attitude. God can speak even through the most boring teacher when were are humble and receptive.
        - We must read God's word. If we read the Bible 15 minutes a day for a year, we can read the entire Bible in a year. If we read for 30 minutes a day we could read the Bible twice a year. All of us can make time for this. "Daily bible reading keeps you in range of God's voice." (Rick Warren). If you are having a hard time hearing God's voice, dig into his Word.
        - We need to research and study the bible. Ask questions and write down our thoughts. Keep a journal. Write down your prayers, your notes from sermons, your answered prayers, everything!
        - Remember it. You remember what is important to you. Reading and reflecting on God's word helps us resist temptation, make wise decisions, reduce stress, build confidence, offer good advice, and helps us share our faith with others.
         - We need to reflect on it - meditation. Meditation is focused thinking. We select a verse and
reflect on it over and over and over in our head. "If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate." (Rick Warren). Like I've said before I should be a expert meditator because I know how to worry. I need to take that energy of worrying and turn it into mediation on God's word.
      3. I must apply its principles
          - We must put all that we learn into practice. Satan fights us on this. He doesn't care if we go to bible study and read the bible, he cares when we start applying it. Blessings come from obeying  the truth in God's word. John 13:17 says, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." We have to obey God in order to get his blessings no matter if its difficult or painful. "The truth will set you free, but first it may make you miserable." (Rick Warren). We have all been through things that have made us miserable but in the end we are better off. It is important to discuss personal
applications in our lives with others that we trust so that they can help us make wise decisions. This is why is it important to have a small group and a church family. "We always learn from others truths we would never learn on our own. Other people will help you see insights you would miss and help you apply God's truth in a practical way." (Rick Warren). Be careful who you take advice from though.

Point to Ponder: The truth transforms me.
Verse to Remember: "If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32
Question to Remember: What has God already told me in his Word that I haven't started doing yet?

Purpose Driven Life Day 20

Day 20, May 20th, "Restoring Broken Fellowship" 

  - Relationships are worth restoring. Life is about learning how to love and value relationships, don't disregard them. "...our ability to get along with others is a mark of spiritual maturity." (Rick Warren). If we want to get God's blessings in life, we have to learn to be peacemakers." (Rick Warren) Peacemaking is one of the most important things to learn in life. Peacemaking is not to avoid conflict its to talk it out and work it out. We need to pray for the holy spirits guidance. Peacemaking is not appeasement. Just because we are christians, doesn't mean we should allow others to run over us.

There are 7 Biblical Steps On HOW TO RESTORE A RELATIONSHIP:

   1. Talk to God before talking to the person.
      - If we have a problem with a person we should discuss it with God before we confront the person. "If you will pray about the conflict first instead of gossiping to a friend, you will often discover that either God changes your heart or he changes the other person's without your help." (Rick Warren). Instead of gossiping to anyone that will listen we should talk to God about the conflict. Tell Him your frustrations, cry out to him! He doesn't get upset by any of our emotions. Some of our needs can only be met by God. No one can meet all our needs but God. James 4:1-2 says, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God." Often times we look to others to make us happy and get angry when they fail us. We need to place God first. This one I really struggle with. I do not enjoy being single I like having a boyfriend and I can not wait to get married but I can't let someone else dictate my happiness. I need to embrace my singleness as hard as it is. Not one person on this earth can give me everything. Not one person can make me 100% truly happy.
  2. Always take initiative.
      - Whether you are the offender or the offended, God expects us as christians to make the first move to repair the relationship. We should not procrastinate or make excuses. "Delay only deepens resentment and makes matters worse. In conflict, time heals nothing, it causes hurts to fester." (Rick Warren). If we act quickly after a argument it reduces the spiritual damage to us. Unresolved conflict blocks fellowship with God and keeps are prayers from being answered, not to mention it makes us miserable. I know for me I can't eat or sleep if I know someone is mad at me. It eats away at my heart. When you are going to meet with the person you are on in conflict with, don't meet when either of you are tired, rushed, hungry, or you will be interrupted. You need to wait until both of you are at your best.
  3. Sympathize with their feelings.
      - Rick Warren says, "Use your ears more than your mouth." It is more important for us to listen to peoples feelings and let them unload emotionally. We need to make sure we are tuned in and are not defensive. Resentment towards people makes us act and think in foolish ways. We need to keep our hearts open and sympathize with their feelings.
  4. Confess your part of the conflict.
      - It is important that we admit our mistakes. We may need to ask a 3rd party to evaluate our actions before meeting with the person we are in conflict with. I would advice that if you are dating someone or married to someone that it is not one of your family members. This can cause conflict in the relationship as they are always going to take your side and if you are constantly nagging about your significant other to family that is how they are going to see them and then you are going to wonder why they don't like your significant other. Always say positive things about the person you are dating/married to to your family. We need to also talk to God and ask God if we are the problem. "Often the way we handle a conflict creates a bigger hurt than the original problem itself." (Rick Warren). If we humbly admit our mistakes it defuses the other persons anger and disarms their attack.
   5. Attack the problem, not the person
      - Often times when we get into conflict we are pointing the finger at who did what and who said what. "You cannot fix the problem if you're consumed with fixing the blame." (Rick Warren). Proverbs 15:1 says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." We need to by wise in choosing our words. We can get the same point across and in a more affective way without raising our voices or cussing. How you say something is just as important of what you say. If you go in with attitude and talk to the person its not going to end well. We need to have an open heart and sympathy for that person whether you are the offender or offended. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." We need to not bring up old hurts and pains as well. We only need to try and resolve the conflict we are currently in.
   6. Cooperate as much as possible.
       - Romans 12:18 says, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Peace always has a price tag but we should work on having as much peace with everyone as possible. We will need to compromise on things.
   7. Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.

      - It's unrealistic to think that everyone is going to agree with everything you say. We are all raised differently and have different backgrounds so inevitable there are going to be some conflicts. "Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem." (Rick Warren). We as christians need to focus on reconciliation. We can disagree without being disagreeable. "God expects unit, not uniformity." (Rick Warren). We don't have to agree on everything but we should work together for God's good.

Point to Ponder: Relationships are always worth restoring.
Verse to Remember: "Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody." Romans 12:18
Question to Consider: Who do I need to restore a broken relationship with today?

Purpose Driven Life Day 14

Day 14, May 14th, "When God Seems Distant"
   - I don't know if I am the only one but, I feel closer to God when I am going through a storm. Most people feel close to God when everything in their life is going good, for me its the totally opposite. I draw closer to God when I'm going through a storm. I feel the most connected when I am going through a difficult time, I turn to prayer and to the bible for answers. The deepest level we can get with God is praising Him in spite of our pain. Sometimes God seems distant to us. This is for a reason. God becomes distant to mature our relationship with him and help us grow spiritually. Just like our earthly relationships are often tested with separation, you will not always feel close to God. God never leaves us though, He is always there for us. Psalms 37:28 says, "For the Lord loves what is fair and right. He does not leave the people alone who belong

to Him. They are kept forever. But the children of the sinful will be cut off." God says he will never leave us BUT, he did not promise we will always feel His presence. Just because you may not feel His presence does not mean God has left you. You are not alone. Every Christian goes through it at some point in their lives, it is vital to our development and our relationship with God. God tests are faith through these times. Rick Warren says, "The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God." We should go to church to seek God rather then seek and experience or an emotion. "Faith, not feelings, pleases God." Rick Warren. I feel, from experience, the situations that stretch you the most will often times be the biggest blessing in your life. Pastor John Ryser at Damascus Friends Church in Ohio said, "Whenever God is going to do something big in your life you will be stretched. Whenever God wants to do a great thing in your life you will have a difficulty. He confronts people with difficulties because he's got something great planned." How do you continue to praise God when He seems distant or you feel you are being stretched? There are four ways:
   1. Tell God EXACTLY how you feel
      - When you are going through a storm and have anger, doubt, and fear. Tell God. Unload all your emotions on God. He can handle it and he wants you to. Rick Warren says, "Admitting your hopeless is a statement of faith."
   2. Focus on who God is - His unchanging nature

   - V. Raymond Edman says, "Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light." Often times we doubt what God has told us when we are going through a storm. If God laid something on your heart and told you something, he will make it happen in due time. In the meantime you can always find things to praise God for. Praise God for allowing you to wake up. Praise God for your health, education, family, friends, etc. I recommend if you are having a hard time doing this to start the 100 happy days challenge. For 100 days post a picture of something that makes you happy that day and then praise God for that.
   3. Trust God to keep His promises
     - When we are going through hard times we need to be patient and realize that God is taking us to a deeper level of maturity spiritually. TRUST ME I am the most inpatient person, this is very difficult for me. It's funny though because my patient's often tell me how patient I am with them and I always tell them, I am patient with you but when it comes to my own life, I am extremely inpatient. Rick Warren says, "When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust Him in spite of your feelings, you worship him in the deepest way." Sometimes we just have to let go and let God take control. Trust in his promises.
   4. Remember what God has already done for you
     - If you can't think of anything in your life right now to praise God for remember what he already has done for you. He sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for you so that you would not have to spend eternity in hell.

Pondering the question of the day, I need to remain focused on God in the good times as well as the bad. Everything happens for a reason and we need to praise God in the storm and on a clear sunny day!

Point to Ponder: God is real, no matter how I feel.
Verse to Remember: "For God has said, 'I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.'" Hebrews 13:5
Question to Consider: How can I stay focused on God's presence, especially when He feels distant?

Purpose Driven Life Day 13

Day 13, May 13th, "Worship What Pleases God" 

   - Mark 12:30 says, "Love the Lord your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." God wants us to love him with every part of our being. He doesn't just want parts of you, he wants all of you. He wants full devotion to Him. The kind of worship that pleases God has four characteristics:
   1. God is pleased when our worship is ACCURATE
      - "Worship must be based on the truth of scripture, not our opinions about God." Rick Warren. We cannot let our opinions interfere with the truth of the scripture and how we worship God. We must worship God in an accurate way to be pleasing to Him.
   2. God is pleased when our worship is AUTHENTIC

     - God designed out spirit to worship with him. Rick Warren says, "Worship is your spirit responding to God's spirit." We must worship genuinely and heartfelt. We must mean what we say when we say it or sing it. If we worship heartlessly we are insulting God. Sometimes you see people in church or you see in yourself worshipping God but it is not genuine. They are doing it for show or to please someone else. Growing up my father was like this, he pretty much just went to check the box saying he went to church. God sees the attitude in our hearts. He knows how we are feeling and what emotions we are expressing. Worshipping brings out emotions that God gave you. We were all created unique so the way you worship may not be the same as someone else. My dad now goes to a more contemporary church and for him its not about checking the box anymore, he enjoys and craves it. Rick Warren says, "Your biggest distraction in worship is yourself - your interests and your worries over what others think about you." We have to do what is authentic to us and shows authenticity to God. There is no "one size fits all" for worship. We were all created unique, you have to find what
works for you. Thats why we have so many denominations in christianity. If you want to worship God on your hands and knees or you want to worship God singing and dancing you can. Find what fits you and be yourself. Be authentic!
    3. God is pleased when our worship is THOUGHTFUL
     - We have to love God with all our mind too. If we worship mindlessly it is meaningless. We have to be thoughtful in our worshipping. For me that means me taking notes in my prayer journal. I get more out of a sermon by taking notes. I am a very studious person and by taking notes I understand the material more and it keeps me focused. When we go to church the message should be understandable for unbelievers. Cascade Hills Church in Columbus, GA is "The Church for the Unchurched." They pride themselves on finding the unbelievers and bringing them to Christ. All of there messages are very practical to life today and are very understandable. This is how messages should be so we can reach those unbelievers.
   4. God is pleased when our worship is PRACTICAL
 

  - So many times people say, "I'm sorry I can't make it but, I'll be there in spirit." This is not true. Your spirit can only be where your body is. We need to live for God, not just on Sunday's but everyday. This is not always convenient for us or comfortable. Sometimes Sunday's is our only day off and we don't want to go and get ready and go to church. Again, its not always comfortable or convenient. When I was living in Arizona I didn't have a day off. I worked 7 days week so I went to church on Saturday nights because I worked in the morning on Sunday's. There were days when I did not want to go but I did every time and I am so glad I did. We need to make worship a priority in our lives. Somedays will be easier then others.

Point to Ponder: God wants all of me.
Verse to Remember: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30
Question to Ponder: Which is more pleasing to God right now - my public worship or my private worship? What will I do about this?

Remembering EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!

First off, I apologize for not writing for a long time but I have been through so many ups and downs. Good news is I have been in remission for 3 years now!!! I came to the realization today that I have a blog that is titled "Everything Happens for a Reason" yet, I struggle with believing that. Currently, I am going through a hard break up and I am learning to trust in God and trust in myself. Every day is a struggle for me. Each day I wake up and I feel the devil on one shoulder trying to bring me down and God on the other side picking me up. I was so invested and so committed to this relationship, I sacrificed so much and loved so deeply. I forgot a lot of the values and rules that God has given us, I lived with the guy before marriage. Now I know that living with your significant other before marriage is common these days but its not biblical and God's not going to bless the relationship if you do not follow the rules he has laid out for us. We are both christian's and knew better but due to our own selfish wants and financial gains for moving in together we lived together. Now I've learned my lesson and I will not do that again and I will seek God more and follow his laws that he has laid out for us. Don't get me wrong I do not regret the relationship at all I have learned a lot and I have grown a lot in many areas of my life. I am physically stronger and healthier. I am spiritually the strongest I have every been. Mentally I'm a work in progress as the ending to our relationship ended by him telling me that I am everything he wants in a spouse, I made him happy, but I did not get "God's vote in marriage". That messes with my mind a lot but I am working through it and will be stronger and closer to God with the battles I am facing. Financially he taught me so much from tithing to saving and eventually investing. I've learned that everyone comes into your life for a reason, a season, and a purpose whether good or bad. I have so many good memories and some not so good memories but the good memories far out way the bad. Thank you TJ for all the good memories, I am grateful you were a chapter in my life.

But here I am and I have a blog that is titled "Everything Happens for a Reason" but do I believe it? I'm struggling hard with that, this guy was everything I wanted in a spouse. I felt secure with him and he filled the voids I had. I had a warm feeling with him and now its gone. It's been about 5-6 weeks now and I have gotten closer to God and I'm learning a lot about myself and a lot about what exactly I want. I've been in a difficult situation sense he is deployed, I've been living with his family in AZ to finish school and again save us money while he is deployed. I am moving back to Ohio at the end of the week, finishing my clinical assignments for physical therapist assistant school, taking my boards and then I will see where God directs my life from there. I'm learning more then every to lean on him and trust in him. I struggle with once I am happy and things start going great in my life I stop spending my quit time with God. I feel when I am with a guy I get some idolatry going on with them and its not right. I need to also put God above all and lean on him all the time not just when I am going through a storm.

I've met some great people through social media pages and blogs and some old friends that are here to support me every step of the way and through every minute of the day when I need them. My family as well have been very supportive. A few songs that are getting me through these difficult times are "Every Storm Runs Out of Rain" by Gary Allan, thank you Brett Macy for that suggestion. Another song that was on my phone and came on when I got in the car all the time is "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue. Now, this song when I heard it would make me so angry because I would think of my ex and be like no your not by my side but one of my friends, Justine Carlson sent it to me in a email and it made me realize that this song isn't about a worldly man being by your side its about God being by my side through everything. All worship songs have helped as well but the one that gets me every time and has sense I was baptized is "Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin. Whenever I hear this song I feel God's presence and I know that something good is about to happen in my life. It puts a smile on my face whenever I hear it.

I recently started rereading Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I have read it before and you are suppose to read a chapter a day and take it in journal about and talk about it with someone else. My best friend Liv Lawnick and I are doing it together and I am going to try to blog about it every week to show what I am learning and growing. There is 40 chapters and 40 days is very spiritually significant time period in the bible. God shows that 40 days is a spiritually significant in many ways. He shows whenever he wants to show someone there purpose he takes 40 days. A few examples of this is Noah's life was transformed by 40 days of rain and Moses was transformed by 40 days on Mount Sinai. For the second time reading this I am going to go through it like you are suppose to a chapter a day for 40 days and see what God shows me. Now I think I know my purpose and through sermons I have heard throughout the years especially by Bill Purvis at Cascade Hills Church in Columbus, GA, I know what my spiritual gifts are they are serving. I feel so fulfilled helping others and having an impact on there life. It's taken me a long time to figure this out but physical therapy is definitely what I am called to do its just where? in what setting? in which state? and with what type of people? I hope to learn the answer to these questions over the next 40 days and the months leading up to taking my boards and applying for jobs.

Another friend of mind recommended some sermons to listen to to get me back to "baseline". I have only listened to 2 of the 7-8 he has recommended but they have really helped me understand EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. The two I've listened to so far are both by Rick Warren. The first one is titled "Winning the Hand you are Dealt" and the second one is titled "Transformed: Change your life by Changing your Mind". Both have been
amazing and I highly recommend listening to
them, they can be found on youtube. Also any sermon by Bill Purvis or Brent Purvis from Cascade Hills Church, they have a app or you can go onto there website and listen to them.

It's all about finding myself again! Finding Jenn. It's amazing how in one instance you can think you have your whole life figured out and in the next your lost. I will get through this and I will bounce back stronger and better then ever. God is bringing me back to Northeast Ohio for the time being and as much as I don't want to go back to my hometown and live with my family again, no offense family :) I'm just 27, I know God has a purpose for me there. I pray he reveals it to me. I think I know what is. I think I am suppose to help my sister get back in church and get saved. I think I'm suppose to help my brother's girlfriend find her purpose. God has a plan and it will be revealed. I know I don't want to stay in Ohio but he is calling me back there for the time being so I am going to embrace it. We will see where God leads me from there once I graduate and pass my boards. He's got a plan and I just need to TRUST HIM.