Go

John 3:19-21
¹⁹This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.


Our world loves evil. Most intents and motives are to influence us for bad. If you flip through channels on the TV, almost every commercial has some sexual, perverted message that it is trying to get across. I think that sometimes we forget that we are in a real battle for our life. Satan and his demons try so hard to get a hold of us; to tempt and influence us to do the wrong thing. But we have to stand strong. The reason that it is so important for us to daily be in God's Word is because it makes it so much easier for Satan to manipulate us for his purposes if we aren't. I don't know about you, but I don't want to go into my daily battle without any sort of defense. If I'm going to be in a battle, I want to be prepared. I want to have my sword and my shield. If we are fully armed with the Word of God, and shining His light, the devil will not be able to stand against us. I want to go out into this world radiating the truth of Christ in the darkness! I know I can do it, and I know you can too. If God is for us, who can be against us?

In His Love,
Jessica

Jesus Christ: best friend

My best friend's name is Jesus Christ.

He is the only one who will always be there for me.

He is planning my life so specifically.

He knows my every thought and hears my every prayer.

He is the only one who can make me complete.

He picks me up when I'm broken.

He's my refuge when there is danger.

He never leaves me- not for one moment.

He touches my heart in ways only he could do.

He loves me even though I'm unlovable.

He cares about my emotions, no matter how crazy they are.

He takes care of me and will never let me down.

He crys when I cry.

He rejoices with me when I'm happy.

He will always be there with open arms.

He never lets up and never backs down.

He will never leave me alone.

He gives me the choice to choose him.

He gives me freedom.

He givers me confidence throughout his word.

He lifts me up with his amazing care when I am at my end.

He gives me wisdom.

He saved me from the pit.

He never goes on vacation.

He has blessed me beyond measure.

He loves me even though I'm a sinner.

He have up his life for me.

He and I get to spend the rest of forever together.

Now THAT is what I call a best friend!

Your sister in Christ,

♥♫•Madison

A post from my mom...:)

Hey Girls!

The other day I stumbled across a letter my mom had written me a couple years ago. It made me cry and it was so sweet! :)
I was really touched by it and thought I'd share it with y'all.
Consider this a post from my mom! :)

Madi,
This morning I pondered the scripture found in 1 The. 5:16-18,
"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Hmmm....be joyful, pray always, give thanks in all circumstances. Paul wrote these words inspired by the Holy Spirit. We know that Paul knew bad circumstances. He was beaten many times, once they thought he was dead, jailed, shipwrecked. He knew cold, hunger, hate. Yet- he knew to have victory he had to choose to be joyful, praying continually, and give thanks. How is this relevant in your life? Well, again and again you will have opportunity to apply this principle. We know in Romans 8:28-29 God says, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose." What good might become of your trials? We don't know for sure. Perhaps he is working humility in you. Perhaps he is teaching you to not worry about pleasing man. Maybe he is teaching you contentedness. God also uses things in our life so that we can empathize (identify) and comfort others. He also has reasons that we might never know or at least not until we are in heaven. But his word is clear. Be joyful, pray continually, give thanks. Be exhorted and encouraged!
You are a daughter of the most high God! The only true God!
I love you,
Mom

I'm Thankful

a warm home
cloudy days
sunshine
rainbows
flowers
forgiveness
restoration
best friends
brothers and sisters in Christ
cinnamon
pumpkin pie
laughter
pillows
rest
unconditional love
photography
comments
a loving family
coffee
cars
sweatpants
cozy fires
chocolate
a good book
cookies
writing
warm vanilla sugar candles
puppies
dr. pepper
salsa
balloons
fuzzy socks
and my Savior, who died on the cross to pay for my sins. Who gave up Himself so that I could spend eternity with Him. More than any other thing on this earth, I am thankful for the gift of salvation and peace that comes through Christ Jesus our Lord.

What are you thankful for?

Psalm 100

¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
² Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Happy Thanksgiving, girls! Have a wonderful day enjoying time with your family, good food, and thankfulness to our magnificent Creator God.

In His Love,
Jessica

Give Thanks

Ezra 3:11
With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD:
“He is good;
his love toward Israel endures forever.”
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Maybe this Thanksgiving you could be thankful for more than just the great food and material things. Be thankful for God, His love, and His blessings.

Recipe: Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Looking for something delicious to make this Thanksgiving? This recipe is easy and oh so good! Enjoy! (:









Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 egg
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (15-ounce) can of pumpkin
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Whipped cream, (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Our Story-

Everyone has a story.
And each story shows his glory.
Not one life is the same.
Because we all have different names.
We all have a specific purpose.
That goes deeper than the surface.
Sometimes it's hard to find.
But we know we are one of a kind.
God choose us to fulfill his plan.
And we know in the end we can.
In his hand he holds the pen.k
And we know with him we will always win.
He lovingly wrote our story.
And he alone deserves the glory.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Exodus 9:16
But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Philippians 2:13
for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Not Me

I might not seem like a very independent person. I have never really had a desire to live by myself. I like people. I love being around my family and friends. However, I can be kind of proud. I want to be able to do things and say, "Hey! Look what I did!" Sadly, that has sometimes transferred to my Salvation. I think, "I accepted Christ" "I repented of my sin" "I am following God" "Look what I have done". It's sad, really, because that, that is wrong. The one thing I can take credit for is sin. I am a sinner. The truth of the matter is, that is all I have done. Christ accepted me! Christ is living through me! Christ saved me! I am so in awe of the Lord. He chose me when I still thought I did not need Him. He is so worthy, I just want to shout it to the world. The Lord of all Creation has chosen me. He has chosen you! Isn't that amazing news? Praise Him today for all He has done.

Romans 5:6-8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Titus 3:4-6
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal of by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Pure thoughts

You can't think two things at once.

It isn't possible to think about two things at the same time. You can't be thinking about trying drugs and how big God is at the same time. This is a good thing for Christians because when we are tempted with bad thoughts we can quickly replace that thought with the word of God! It doesn't matter what you are struggling with- it could be thinking about addiction, judgemental thoughts, a crush, or jealousy. Whatever it is you can toss that thought out the window and replace it with God's truth.

We should be having the mind of Christ, filled with pure thoughts and emotions. We can control our thoughts- no matter what Satan tells us.

Romans 15:5
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,

1 Corinthians 2:16
for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Putting on the mind of Christ, we are ready to face each challenge with confidence and truth.

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Never Let Go

Joshua 23:14
You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

God's Word is full of abundant promises to us as believers. His promises bring hope, refreshment, and joy to our lives.
As I was reading through the book of Joshua, I couldn't help but be touched by this verse. It says that none of the many promises the Lord gave the Israelite people failed. Not one. Every one was fulfilled. How awesome is that? Sometimes it is hard for me to fully comprehend God. As it should, considering I am a mere finite human, and God is an all-powerful infinite being. I know He is faithful, but actually reading a real historical account of God's mercy and faithfulness to His people just makes it all the more real to me. I find it simply amazing that we serve a God who is beyond all things and has never broken a promise.
I know that I, in my few years of life on this earth, have broken numerous promises to people. Sometimes even the smallest things... like promising to fold the laundry and then not doing it. Jesus never did that. When he told His mother He would clean their home, He cleaned it. When He promised to be back home before 10pm, He was back home. Look at what an impact that has on us as His children. We know that our God is trustworthy and faithful. We know that the Lord will never fail us. None of His promises will ever let go of us. That is something we never have to fear or worry about, because we know that God will always fulfill His promises!
Just as that verse shows that Christ always keeps is promises, it also reveals to us something that we, as His children, have to work on. We are to pattern our lives after Christ, which means keeping our promises, so that we become trustworthy and faithful. When someone sees a characteristic of Christ in you, they are drawn to you and open to what you have to say. That provides such a great opportunity to share your faith with them! The Lord never lets go, and neither should we.

In His Love,
Jessica

P.S. We would love to hear from you!! Please check out Becky's post here, and leave us a comment or shoot us an email telling us what you would liked to see improved here on iheart!

Talk to us.

Changes have been in the working here at iheart for some time now (and still are). We are making improvements as we see fit, but we want to here from you. Leave a comment or send us an email telling us one thing that would improve our ministry to you. What would draw you back to the site? What should we post more about? Let us know! iheartministry@yahoo.com

Some encouragement for today:
Job 37:5-God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.
God is working in your life even today!

Quotations: True Beauty

"If a soul has any beauty, it is because Christ has endowed that soul with His own, for in ourselves we are deformed and defiled! There is no beauty in any of us but what our Lord has worked in us."

~Charles Spurgeon

Trials

Hey Girls!

As I mentioned in my last post I'm going to be talking about how through our trials and our pains, God makes us strong.

My pastor preached on this a couple Sundays back and I was so amazed because that was exactly what I was going to post about!:)

Recently a boy I knew committed suicide. His death affected a lot of people, including me. However, even though his family and friends are walking through pain right now, God is going to use it to make them stronger. Who knows? Maybe he is using this time in their lives to show how big and great he is.

All I know is that we have a amazing God and he is there for us throughout whatever trials we walk through.

These verses really do most of the talking:

Romans 5:3-5 (New International Version)
3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.


James 1:2-4 (New International Version)

Trials and Temptations
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.


1 Peter 1:6-7 (New International Version)
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Your sister in Christ,

♥♫•Madison

Lifting holy hands: the importance of worship.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. --Psalm 95:6-7

Sometimes I seem to forget that God's salvation in by grace through faith, and nothing of my own work (Ephesians 2:8). Worshiping the Lord helps to put this into perspective. If worship isn't a part of your quiet time (or you don't have a consistent quiet time) I encourage you to start today! There are so many benefits of meeting with the Lord daily. He is just waiting to fall in love with you! Turn on some soft worship music, and meditate on it or sing quietly with it. Our King deserves all our worship for His splendor and majesty. Will you give it to Him today?

Fantasy or Reality?

Disappointed. When I allow myself to fantasize and dream about something and then it doesn't happen, I'm disappointed. I'm frustrated. I just want to go have a pity party in my room, ignore my family, and be upset.
That is exactly the reason why we can't dream. Us as girls have this wonderfully unique talent of dreaming. And I can't say it's one of our finer talents. (;
As we sit conjure up scenarios in our head about that really cute boy at youth group, all we are doing is setting ourselves up for failure. We set expectations for these people and things we fantasize about and usually they don't measure up to that dream. Most of the time, that boy is not going to come up to you and tell you that your new sweater is really cute. Even though you totally bought it so he would notice!! Am I right?
Contrary to what our so-called heart's desires may tell us, God says that we are to meditate on Him and His Word, not that conversation you had with that cute boy.

Psalm 119:15
I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.

Psalm 119:27
Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 119:48
I reach out for your commands, which I love,
that I may meditate on your decrees.

If we reach to the Lord for the fulfillment of our desires, we will not be disappointed by Him! God's ways and thoughts are far superior to any of ours. As easy as it is for us to allow our imagination to run wild as we drift away to sleep, we cannot stay pure and devoted to Christ when we do that. Meditate on the glory of our Savior, and let God handle all those other situations in His time.

In His Love,
Jessica

Lilies Among Thorns Magazine

Here at iheart, our goal is to encourage you, but also lead you to other sources of encouragement! One of these sources is Lilies Among Thorns Magazine. Here you will find advice, movie reviews, poems, fiction, posts on music, fun articles, and spiritual encouragement, all based on God's word. The fourteen girls on staff here do a fabulous job with every post. Go check it out! http://www.liliesamongthornsmagazine.blogspot.com

Refreshments anyone?

Proverbs 12:18
The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

There are so many verses in God's word that talk about your words and how you should and should not use them. This verse especially made me think about how I use my tongue. Reckless, rash words hurt people. So what happens when you speak with thoughtful, encouraging words? It makes them feel loved, wanted, and uplifted. It brightens their day and their outlook on life. So why don't we do that all the time?

2 Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Have you ever thought that when you aren't encouraging, even if you aren't being discouraging or negative, you are disobeying God? I had never really thought about that before until just recently. But just think, when we are focused on Christ and other people, making an effort to smile and say a few uplifting words, it helps us not to think negatively about people or wallow in self-pity. However, when we live our life without seeking to encourage one another, it is so easy for us to fall into sin. It is so much easier to say something about that girl's weird dress, or ramble on about your awful week, when you are ignoring God's commandment to encourage each other! That is how Satan gets a foothold into our lives. He sneaks in through those little cracks in our life, where we aren't quite fully obeying God, and wreaks havoc in so many ways. Don't allow that to happen! Be an encourager; allow the Lord to use you! Philemon 1:7 says that when we love and encourage one another, we are like a breath of fresh air. We refresh the hearts of fellow believers when we obey God and diligently seek to encourage each other. And with all this fresh air blowing around, we can influence so many people for the Lord!
Have a wonderful day!

In His Love,
Jessica

He is there through the pain!

"I know Your ways
Know Your plans are higher
I know You’re good
Your love remains
Troubles come
Oh my soul bless my Father
I know Your thoughts towards me
Are peace"
Found Me- Youth America


Hey girls!
In a couple posts back I talked about how in control God is. Well, this post is going to be similar! :) :)

As I mentioned, I've had trouble letting go of a person. Well guess what? God has been greatly using this experience to better me and others. Yes, it's hurt me, but I've been able to help at least 5 other girls feeling the same as me. I've come to realize how big and MIGHTY my God is. For the past four months my heart has been aching and depressed because of this person. But I've hit the turning road and I feel SO MUCH BETTER!:)
I thank and praise God because I am now stronger and am closer to him. At first I didn't handle my situation well- I was mad at God and cried every night. Then one day I realized how stupid I was being! There were millions of people actually in pain and here I was, moping because of a person! Sure, what I was feeling was real and hard, but hey guess what? I'm not called to sit around and cry about what happened, but to praise my Father and search his will! No, things did not get easier after I this realization, but I did completely turn around my attitude. Every time I in any way thought about this certain person, I prayed for him. Soon, my thoughts started coming less and less. As I learned to properly handle my situation, God used me to bless other people and draw closer to him.

So girls, no the road isn't going to be easy. People will come and go in our life and there isn't anything we can do about it but trust God. Everything is in his plan and for his ultimate purpose. On our own we can't push past the pain- that is why we need to draw close to the Lord.

Here is a part of a poem I wrote about my experience:
"My only hope is that God will draw near.
And understand my pain and my fears.
Maybe when all this is done.
I can look to the One.
And sing praises to my King.
Because he took care of everything!"

In my next post I'm going to talk about how God is making us stronger through trials (basically the part 2 of this post!)

Your Sister in Christ,
Madison

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Galatians 6:7-10

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all the people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

In Training

1 Timothy 4:7-8
...Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

I love to play the piano. I can sit for hours upon hours losing myself in the music. Sometimes when I'm looking up new music to play, I stumble upon a video of someone playing the piano that is just extremely talented at what they do. Their fingers fly over the piano faster than I can watch and I think, "Wow, I wish I could play like that." But as much as I want to be able to go sit down right now and play my piano just as well as them, I can't. Maybe someday I will be able to play that well, but it would take abundance of training and practice. Those talented pianists didn't just sit down one day and start playing like that. It took them years and years of diligent training to become the accomplished pianists they are today.
It's the same way in our spiritual life. You don't become a Christian and then automatically know your Bible cover to cover. You don't become a believer and immediately become the most profusely, literate preacher in the world. You start out like a young child that still needs milk and soft food. You aren't ready to be a teacher or a leader; yet. It doesn't mean someday you can't be all those things and more, but becoming a righteous woman of God, takes time and diligence. Just like Becky talked about yesterday, we have to be diligent in everything. When we persevere through those small things, and continue to build ourselves up and push ourselves to become more like Christ, we will make a difference and we will become a strong child of the King. Our relationship with God doesn't grow if we don't challenge ourselves to do more. We do not become great without any motivation or passion on our part. We can do amazing things for Christ, but it takes time, effort, and devotion to Him. Refuse to be the average, everyday Christian and allow God to cultivate righteousness and godliness in your life.


In His Love,
Jessica

Diligence

I have been learning recently just how much I don't know. I have no idea what God holds for my future. Some times, that makes it hard to live today. It seems like day in and day out I do small things that won't really matter in five or ten years.

1Timothy 4:15
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.


Hebrews 6:11
We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.

We are called to be diligent in the everything, including the little things. When we work at something everyday, no matter how small, we will be able to see our progress! Wouldn't it be great to look back one day and say, "Wow! I didn't think anything would come from that, but look what has happened!"
Be diligent today, even when it doesn't seem worth it.

Searching.

Ecclesiates 3:11
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

Every nation, every race, every king and slave have all wondered if there is something more to this life. Some have found the true purpose- serving King Jesus and living a set apart life; others have made or thought up alternatives that seem to fit their personal lives and schedules. Even if you just briefly examine history, you will see that religion, gods, or God Almighty, have been major influences in people's lives.
The exceptionally interesting thing is that God wants people to search for the Truth. He placed the thought of eternity, and what happens to us when we die, in our hearts so that we can find out for ourselves what the point of living is. There are so many people who have tried numerous things to fill that gap and answer that question of eternity. But there is only one thing that fills that hole and desire in our life. So many people in this world who are searching for the truth, and it's our job to share the truth that we have discovered! Even if some people seem to be hard-hearted and completely against the Lord, don't give up hope in them. Everyone is searching, and everyone needs to hear the good news of Christ.

In His Love,
Jessica

Our God is GREAT!

Have you ever just thought about how in control God is?
He is so amazing!
Even though you may be going through hard times, God has got it all in his plan in purpose. This is so significant and powerful to me.
He's got the whole world in his hands and he isn't letting us go!

Why don't you just praise God today for who he is and what he is doing in your life?


Nehimiah 9:5
“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.

Psalm 95:3
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.

Psalm 77:13
Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?

Psalm 71:19
Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God?

Deuteronomy 7:21
Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.

TO YOUR ALONE BE THE GLORY, O GOD!

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison