God is up to something

I am overwhelmed. Completely and thoroughly overwhelmed by all that God is doing in my life. I never thought I'd be the girl who had potential to do something big for God. I never thought it was going to be me. My whole life I've bought into the lies of the enemy that I'm not good enough or strong enough or talented enough to be used greatly by God. I've been through so many changes in my life. I've been to the pit of brokenness and back. But this year topped it all. It has been the biggest battle of my life. It's been a good hard fight. It was time to get serious or accept defeat. So I got serious: I chose Jesus.

I remember one night I said to Him, "Lord, I don't want to be carnal Christian. I want to be one of the people that answers to your calling, that lives the life You have for me, that gives everything up to serve you, and so Lord, I am Yours."

Let me tell you, He sure has taken me up on it! The things He is teaching me, WOW! He is transforming my life, my ways, my behaviour, my attitude, and my thoughts. He's absolutely tearing me apart and putting me back together in a way that will glorify Him. He has been fervently teaching me to walk in the fruits of the Spirit, teaching me about prayer, and truly helping me to understand His word. He is teaching me the BE a Christian in mind, body, soul, and Spirit. He is breaking the walls, barriers, bondages, doubts, and fears, and replacing it with His reassurance and goodness and passion.

It is a beautiful process I am being taken through. And I'm still going through it. I still have tons to learn. It takes time to break bad habits and develop new good habits. But the change so far is evident. I see it. My parents see it. People see it. This weekend a bunch of ladies at my church retreat told me I have an amazing testimony, and I was like "what? me? I have a testimony?" I never thought of my life as a testimony. I've seen so many people giving their testimonies up on stage at church and always thought "I'll never have something special like that that can stir people up and touch their hearts." But this weekend I was shown that I was wrong. That that was also lie from the enemy.

There are no words to explain my thanks to God, for all that He is doing, and for the time He is taking to shape me and mold me into the person He desires me to be. All I could do that I know of is to continue loving Him and telling people about Him.

I am not the same person I was even a week ago.

Getting closer

I used to rely so much on having someone to talk to during the day, as in someone to text. I really just liked having someone to keep me company. And when I stopped talking to one person, I'd start with another. It's as if I wasn't okay being alone all day.

About 2 months ago I stopped that. Sure, I text here and there, but I no longer rely on people to make me happy or keep me company throughout the day. Instead, if I am feeling lonely, I talk to God, I read my Bible and/or Christian living books, or even listen to worship music. I bring those 3 things with me to school, just in case I get bored and feel like passing time.

Ever since I've started doing this I've felt such a deeper connection with God. I feel more complete. It feels good to put all my trust and hope and affection towards God. It is amazing to be free from the bondage of needing people, because honestly it was destroying my relationship with God. It seems so small, but when people take up time that deserves to be given to God, it affects you. Well, it affects me.

I can't thank God enough for answering my prayers. I ask him frequently to reveal to me things in my life that are taking the place of Him, and He always shows me new things that are actually huge that I never noticed before. Actually, I have also been asking for more Christian friends and it's like out of nowhere I am hanging out with people and find myself stopping for a moment to think "wow, how did I get here, sitting at a table with these amazing people talking about God?" because a few months ago I didn't even know them. He answers our prayers so subtly sometimes and then one day you realize everything for the answered prayer it is, and it's so overwhelming.

It's safe to say I'm in love.

The glory of His presence.

It makes me wonder, if people truly felt God, would it not change them? Would it not transform their hearts and mind? Would it not cause them to believe?

When I am in need concerning anything, I must only call him name and He is there. I am convinced that if people felt Him, felt the warmth of his presence, the tingling sensation running up and down their whole body, peace washing over them, and the utter contentment knowing He is there, that they would not be able to deny Him.

I do not believe in a dead God. My God is alive, and he listens, and he comforts. He is always there. I am not walking this life alone. In spirit, He is with me always. It is not something us Christians say as a metaphor. When we say He is there with us, it is real, so very real, and nothing feels better than to sit in His presence and acknowledge that the God of the universe is right there, sitting on the floor with me in my messy room. He cares not what I've done or will do, he cares not about my social status, the clothes I wear, the size I am, or the qualifications I have. He only wants me, all of me, as I am. He made me in the first place, and I am perfect to Him.

Have you ever been in love? Where all you do is think of that person and all the good things you want to do for them? How you want them to feel special and really know that they are loved? Like you'd do anything to be there for them at any time and any where and the worst thing in the world is watching them struggle and not letting you help them.

That is what God feels for us, but even stronger. Stronger than we could ever imagine. And in those moments on the floor in my messy room when He is there with me, I feel exactly that. I feel how much He loves me. It is undeniable. It's in those moments where I know that no matter what happens in my life, I want basque in the glory of His presence for the rest of my life.

I love Him.

Choose happiness for yourself.

My mom’s best friend was over and I hadn’t seen her in months. So, she sees me, we hug, and then she compliments my new hair colour but then she says to me “there’s something different about your face” and I said “um, well… I’m much happier than I ever was” and she starts smiling that suspicious smile and continues on “you’re glowing! There must be something making you this happy…” and I responded “well, yeah, actually, God is” and yet I know what she was thinking and then she confirmed my thoughts by asking me who the guy is. I told her there is no guy. That I have changed a lot over the past several months and I am simply happy, in and of myself (with the relentless help of God). And she gave me a look like she knew better and I reassured her that God is the only (and best) man in my life. She didn’t believe me.

And this just struck me. Because it goes to show what the world has conditioned people to believe. The world sends out the message “if you are happy, then there MUST be a guy or girl in your life who is causing it.” When really, that isn’t always true, and honestly I don’t think it should be that way at all.
Happiness comes from within, it comes from yourself. It is a conscious decision you make for yourself. And if you’re unhappy, and you get a boyfriend/girlfriend, then become happy because of them… then every time they let you down, or hurt you, or don’t live up to your expectation, or are disappointed in you…. you wont be able to stand on your own because they are the source of your joy, and they are no longer giving you joy.

It is so important to build up your own joy, your own reasons to be happy. Why would you settle for letting someone else make you happy when you can be happy on your own with or without a significant other in your life?

Don’t let yourself be complete by another person. That is selling yourself short. Plus, it’s unfair to give such a huge responsibility to the other person, as if they could find any way to make you happy when you’re not.