Today, October 27, 2010, it is my 18th Birthday. Looking back, I've wondered what this day would feel like, how i would act, and what I would say and do, but never, never in a million years did I imagine it would feel like it does. Honestly, I don't feel older but for some reason i feel much more thankful than I did yesterday. I realize how blessed I am and how incredible life truly is!
I can't believe the vast amount of blessings which have been placed in my life and how much God has continued to bless me, through my disobedient times, through my disrespect but also through times where I am walking in step with His plan for my life.
And that is exactly where I am right now, at the center of God's will for my life, and I know it! I have no doubts that I am living the way God wants me to be and that I am being obedient in my decisions right now. As I continue to seek His majestic face and learn more and more about His word, He reveals himself more vividly and clearly. I never knew how amazing God's hand in my life could be but I am beginning to understand and experience what it feels like to allow God to control my life and to guide me and bless me when he chooses to. And he always chooses the appropriate times for things! He knows when I need to be sharpened, when i can handle the pain but also when I need encouragement and He knows exactly what that encouragement and love look like. He is amazing and I am so thankful for who my God is and all He is doing and continues to do in my life!
God has blessed me abundantly these past 18 years, especially in my family and my home life! My parents are absolutely the most amazing people I have ever met and I am so incredibly thankful for all they have done for me, how they have invested into my life and how they have helped shape and refine me into the young woman I am today. I look up to my mom and dad more than anyone else on this Earth because they both have honestly lived out an amazing life and have been awesome examples to my sister and I. I am also incredibly blessed by my little sister! Her joy and silliness are both things that encourage me and keep me happy about life in general! The strength of our family life inspires me and makes me want to please them and reach high standards more and more! I love them so much!
There are so many more things in my life I am thankful for including, my friends, my school, the opportunities I have to do missions and to share the gospel, the amazing freedom to worship God and to learn about Him without being scared for my life..... ahh, the list goes on and on. I am just so amazed by Him and His awesome power and strength in my life. I also am so blessed by the little beauties in life, like sunshine, rain, smiles, laughter, music and ah, well just so many blessings are surrounding me...
Since God has blessed me so abundantly, I realize that He wants me to bless others as well! I need to be consistently be getting my cup filled by the Holy Spirit and other believers but also continue to pour myself out into other people's lives! He is so amazing and deserves to be exalted in my life, each and every day!
"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." -Philemon 1:4-7
I haven't listened to my itunes in a while, but today i thought it was time to open it back up and listen to some music. I'm not sure why I haven't been listening to a lot of music while here at college... I'm thinking that it is because I am either always with friends, at a church service (with amazing worship) or doing homework. Well, whatever the reason is, i opened my itunes and put it on shuffle. I have a lot of different music on my itunes but the first song it played, of course, was a love song. I haven't listened to many love songs lately and it kind of got me thinking... Music is a key to the heart, an entrance into emotions which otherwise wouldn't be revealed. Some people use music to woo a loved one while others use the music to vent in anger. Lately, the music I've been listening to has been all worship music, which is amazing. I love exalting my Heavenly Father in all I say and do, especially through my music. God has been revealing so much to me lately, and I continue to find myself in consistent praise of His touch in my life each day. The other thing I have remembered as I listen to the melody of each of these songs and think deeply about the words that each artist sings, is that God sings over us. Wednesday night, in campus church, Dr. Gutierrez talked about the vast love that God has for each one of his children and specifically of how God knows us so deeply and personally. He referenced Psalm 139, which is probably one of my favorite sections in the Bible, and showed what our reactions should be when the Spirit wants to take control in our lives. According to him, our first reaction should be praise. I completely agree with this statement because I believe our God delights in our music, in our voices (good or bad) and most of all, delights in our heart of worship. Ahhh, i love hearing people sing in other languages. it delights my heart and Spirit to see the way that God loves diversity... I'm just so amazed by all He is capable of. So amazed.
"I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will comment your works to another; they will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever." -Psalm 145
I worship Him because He is worthy of praise. I commit myself to living for him, for my life to be a constant love song, written for my Father. The only one worthy of praise, the only one worthy of all my heart, my love, my life, my abilities. He should be praised, he should be exalted and He will be. He is my rock and my salvation. I rejoice in him as a grow and learn, I thank Him for his hand in my life.
My prayer is for all others, may you seek His face. May you truly worship with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. Live for him and make your life a love song, exalting and praising your creator.
Yesterday I went to the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York with a group from LU! It was extremely exhausting and i just got back to campus about 2 hours ago, but I can not go to sleep. I'm so amazed by what God is doing in my life, I just can't sleep!
So yesterday's conference was called "A Day of Renewal" and the title definitely fit the events! We arrived in NYC around 6am and then went out to breakfast, around 8:30am we went to the Brooklyn Tabernacle learning center and had an amazing time of prayer and fellowship with our Heavenly Father, we also had a teaching and a large group devotional which was amazing! I had never done a large group devotional, and it's not at all what I had expected to see! Everyone began by praying aloud and then randomly people from all over the room would read scripture, begin songs and pray. It was amazing. After that session we went over to the actual Brooklyn Tabernacle and we had another amazing time of worship, prayer and teaching. The Brooklyn Tabernacle itself is AMAZING! I was completely in awe of how beautiful this church was and how amazing the art was. After this session we went out for pizza in a New York Pizzeria! It was delicious. We then made our way down to Times Square (riding the metro there of course! :) ). Times Square was overwhelming but awesome all at the same time. There was so much going on and so much to look at, I felt like I needed to take a picture of every single little thing because there was so much going on. After wandering around Times Square a little bit, our group ran into 2 men who were speaking about the Bible, but they were speaking about it incorrectly. The guys in our group began talking to them and speaking to them about the Bible. They had very similar views down to very small situations, but the biggest matter that was the problem is that they did NOT believe in a relationship with Christ. Our entire group tried to witness to these men and as I read scripture that God had laid on my heart I felt the real feelings of spiritual warfare. I'm not sure when the last time I had felt that way was, but it was real and others in my group confirmed it. The two men were named Arcemedies and Antony. It was heartbreaking to see how sure they were of their facts they could pull from the Bible yet so unsure of what exactly the Bible was saying! The two men would proof-text, which is pulling random scriptures from random places in the Bible, making one point from different verses, ignoring the story around the verses completely. Throughout trying to prove to these men why Jesus is salvation and he is the ONLY way for salvation, my spirit became weary. The guys in the group asked if they could pray for the two men and they strictly said no and that prayer is between "your God, and you, only." This last comment made me even more skeptical of these two men and what exactly they stood for! I have met so many non-Christians who would appreciate a prayer or two, even if someone doesn't believe in God, wouldn't they want Him on their side... just in case their atheistic views are wrong? I will continue to pray for these two men and I pray always that others will be put into their lives and will be able to share the good news of Christ with them again! Leaving Times Square, our group was in shambles, talking about the men and what we had said, and how God can use the little things we said for good in the long run. It was amazing and I grew way closer to my brothers and sisters in Christ through witnessing to these two men. We then arrived at the Brooklyn Tabernacle for the final service of the day, which was a Prayer Service. It was amazing how everyone in the entire, HUGE church could worship on one accord, and how beautiful it sounded. We worshiped, prayed and worshiped again. I loved how the Church all came together as one, and it wasn't even a sunday morning! I wrote down many of the requests of my heart and many that had been laid on my heart that day by the requests of the Brooklyn Tabernacle congregation and pastoral staff. I was so amazed by how God's Spirit surrounded that place, in the midst of darkness, He was there!
God is so powerful, so amazing, so worthy of all our worship!
He is all knowing, unchanging, so loving!
He has a plan and a purpose for me and I am committed to following it all the days of my life.
I am excited for what today brings, what tomorrow brings, and what the years to come bring!
God is completely in control of my life and He is completely in control of my requests and needs.
I rest in the arms of my Heavenly Father!
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
"Finally brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."
