A Kiss From God

"A letter represents something far more than a kiss ever could. It evidences thoughtfulness and the gift of time. While a kiss can prove tender, it must overcome the stigma of impulsiveness to truly display love. A letter, on the other hand, when written in the spirit of ardor and romance - even if it never mentions passion - strokes the heart deeper than any other form of physical touch. A kiss cannot be felt again and again from great distance; but a letter can be read and reread thousands of times. A kiss only familiarizes lips with the physical body of a lover. A letter familiarizes the heart, mind, and soul. Maybe that's why God chose to write us a letter."

~Eric Ludy, When Dreams Come True

Sometimes I wonder why God did not give us a more obvious display of His love, like a kiss. He gave us much better. Not only did He gave us a letter, to read about Him and His love, but He gave us the most precious gift; the life of His Son.

As We Wait

Titus 1:16
They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.

In that passage of scripture, Paul is writing to Titus about the mere talkers and deceivers (vs 10); the people who don't live what out what they believe. These people had heard all about Jesus and His mercy and grace, but yet they still clung to their worldly passions. According to Paul they were "unfit for doing anything good." They were undisciplined and were not training themselves to be more like Christ.
When we first become a Christian, our sin doesn't just magically disappear. It is a gradual process to cleanse yourself of sin. Unfortunately, that sin will never completely be gone until we get to Heaven. My point is that we are all in the process of being transformed more into the likeness of Christ. We are training our bodies to run the race set before us. In order to be ready to run this race, we have to discipline ourselves. One of the things most forgotten by Christians is that we are sinful and undeserving and we continually have to make an effort to be more like Jesus.

Titus 2:11-12
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age...

We have to say no to that sin in our life. We have to do as much as we possibly can to rid ourselves of everything that displeases God. He teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness. God will never ask you to give anything up for Him that isn't for your good. So if God is convicting you of sin in your life, don't wait to give it up. All that sin does is hinder your relationship with Christ.

Titus 2:13-14
...while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Jesus has redeemed and purified us from our sin! We are His very own. Be eager to live a life that brings Him all the honor and glory. As we await the glorious appearing of our very own Savior, remove from yourself everything that is a stumbling block in your relationship with Him!

In His Love,
Jessica

Romans 12:2

Romans 12:2 (Today's New International Version)
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will

What does it mean to not conform to the world?
Some people think it means to just not do everything the world does or just live for Christ.

The meaning of the the word conform is this:

con·form   /kənˈfɔrm/ Show Spelled[kuhn-fawrm] Show IPA
–verb (used without object)
1. to act in accordance or harmony; comply (usually fol. by to ): to conform to rules.
2. to act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc., of society or a group: One has to conform in order to succeed in this company.
3. to be or become similar in form, nature, or character.
4. to be in harmony or accord.
5. to comply with the usages of an established church, esp. the Church of England.

That sure makes this Bible verse a lot bigger!! Most of the Christians here on earth have "conformed" to this world one way or another.
We have such a short time on this earth to make a difference! There is no time to be conformed!
We have to get out of our comfort zone and be different!
Christians are constantly in the middle, we have to choose a side with all our heart. God doesn't want lukewarm. Lately, I've been too lukewarm and I realize how wrong I was!

Revelation 3:16 (New International Version)
16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Throw out those things in your life that make you lukewarm and the same as everyone else! Be transformed!

Your sister in Christ,

♥♫•Madison

Scripture Memory

You have probably been told that Scripture memory should be an important part of a Christian's life. Growing up in church, I memorized Bible verses in AWANA and Sunday School, but I didn't have a grasp on what the point really was. Psalm 1:2 says the man who meditates on God's law will be blessed. When you hide His word in your heart, you can use it to combat Satan, as Jesus did in Matthew 4. Start by finding one verse that applies to something you are going through, or pick a Psalm to memorize. Right now I am working on Psalm 16. Repeating what you are memorizing throughout the day will help you focus your thoughts on the Lord and bring you closer to Him!
I pray that you would grow in the Lord and have a fantastic day!

Love in Christ,
Becky

Live like it!

1 John 2:5b-6
This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Recently in my quiet time and even as I write posts for iheart God just keep revealing and bringing to my attention that I must walk as Jesus did. Over and over again I read verses that tell me to imitate Jesus' life, to strive after His perfection. It's something that God has really laid on my heart lately. If you read throughout the first 4 books of the New Testament you have numerous testimonies and witnesses to events that happen in the life of Christ. You can see how to answer people when they frustrate you, what your opinion should be about divorce, how to flee temptation...Jesus paints the perfect picture of how we should go about living in this world. This verse just really hit me. If I claim to have relationship with Christ then I have to live like it. His grace, mercy, compassion, and love should overflow from my heart. It fills up all the holes and cracks in my sinful life and just completely bubbles forth from me. I really want to challenge you girls to seriously live like Christ. To really make an enormous effort to follow His example. I hope that you will join me in my efforts to live a life like my Savior. I can't even imagine the blessings we will receive when we do what God asks of us. When we fully surrender ourselves and live like Him.

In His Love,
Jessica

Priceless Salvation

Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching? -Wendy Mannering

Ever felt like you just had a bad day?
I have.
I had one pretty recently actually. All I wanted to do was come home, wallow in self-pity and maybe cry a little. Because things didn't go the way I wanted them to.
But, as I was sitting in the car on the way home, I got to thinking of all the good things that happened that day. Things that could have not happened, and yet they did.
Sometimes I look past those little things that made my day a blessing. No matter what is going on, I am always blessed. I am blessed to be wearing clothing, blessed to have had a meal, blessed to be able to take a breath on my own.
A lot of times when people have a rough day, they tend to blame it on God. But the fact of the matter is that both Christians and non-Christians alike will have good times and bad times.

Matthew 5:45 (New International Version)
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

That was the verse that came to my mind during my "bad day." God doesn't sit up in heaven and decide that I am going to be frustrated. Life will run it's course and some bad thing are going to happen. My response to that is what really makes an effect on what kind of day I have. Our attitude and reaction makes the biggest difference in our lives. Because, quite frankly, in comparison to some other people in the world, I had a fabulous day. It was just my selfishness that got in the way of everything. Because I decided to be kind of mopey and woe is me. I chose to act like that, instead of looking at God and thanking Him for the good in my life.

Philippians 2:5 (New Living Translation) You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

So this is what we do to overcome those bad days. We base our attitude off of Jesus. We see what kind of attitude He had. Three things came to mind when I thought about Jesus' attitude.
The first thing that came to mind was that He was selfless. He always looked to others needs instead of His own. He did not act like everything was about Him, even though it was.
Secondly, He was sacrificial. For the last couple years of His life, Jesus gave up a permanent home, food, personal belongings, family, friends, and worldly comfort. He gave all of those things up so that He could minister to others. Then He made the Ultimate Sacrifice by dieing on the cross for our sins!
Third of all, He was a servant. Although He deserves the highest praise, He gave that up to serve others, to humble Himself, to wash others feet.

Decide to have a good attitude. Choose to have the same attitude as Christ. That is what really makes an impact on your life. And besides that just making an affect on your own life, it will affect the lives of others around you.

In His Love,
Jessica

How He Loves Us

This is how much he loves us!
No matter how unworthy we are, he always loves us. He loves us so much. There is no way we deserve to be here, he died so we could be.

I suggest you put that song on your iPod and just listen to it over and over again. Try and wrap your mind around how much he loves us! It's impossible!! I just fall in love with God again when I think about the way he loves us.

Here are my favorite verses about how he loves us:

Psalm 52:8
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.

Psalm 36:7
How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God is the very definition of love! He laid down his life for undeserving sinners! He is so amazing.

His love just surrounds us daily, lets learn to shine in it and show love to others!

Your sister in Christ,
Madison

Listen to Him

Have you ever been amazed by what your friends can see that you cannot? I know I have. They will say something like, "You're overreacting," or, "Can't you see, he's a jerk!" Sometimes you cannot see what is really going on because you are to close to the situation. However, if you take a step back and look at everything, you usually find that they are right. It is easy to get so caught up in something that you cannot see the bigger picture. The same is true of the Holy Spirit! He convicts us of sins and bad choices in our life that we often overlook.

John 16:7-11
But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

Jesus himself said it, the Spirit is here to convict us of sin, and Satan now stands condemned! We can be free of our sin through Christ Jesus. Be willing to give it up for His sake.

In Him,
Becky

Today Is The Day

Psalm 118:24
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the only July 5, 2010 there will ever be. Use it to do something that has eternal significance.
Smile at an elderly lady at the grocery store, compliment your siblings, or give your testimony. Make a difference, no matter how small of one it might be.

In Christ,
Jessica

Siblings

Siblings.

The good. The bad. The ugly.
You pretty much go through everything with your siblings around. They are always there, whether you want them to be or not. I personally love my little brothers, but they sometimes really get on my nerves....if you know what I mean!

Last night I was having a fit(yes I know, REALLY bad of me) about ice cream. I fell asleep and apparently I was talking in my sleep saying, "ice cream, ice cream!!". When I woke up all I could think about was ice cream and I was really grumpy. My little brother Cooper came in and started to comfort and snuggle me saying, "aww it's okay we'll get ice cream tomorrow!!" It was so sweet and make me realize how STUPID I was. Anyway, I have the cutest little 9 year old brother ever.

I've really learned a lot (and am still learning!) about how to relate to them and hold my comments in. My brothers are such a blessing and though sometimes I don't realize that, I love them so much.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (New International Version)

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!


I love this verse because it really describes our siblings. Two are always better than one!
As you go through this beautiful day, remember that your siblings are a blessing from God and there is no one like them!! :)

Your sister in Christ,
Madison

Little Things

I read a note someone wrote me the other day and in it she phrased the question: Am I trying to please God? Or the world? I really had to think about that for a moment. I find it so easy to get absorbed in the world even though everything about it portrays the exact opposite of what God wants us to think. For me, I have a big issue with clothes. I will get up every morning and look at my closet and think, "Uhh, I have nothing to wear today." When the truth is, I have 40 shirts that are perfectly fine. I feel like I have this person looming over me telling me, "Jessica... you just wore that outfit to church 3 weeks ago. Don't you think that's a little tacky?" and I feel like screaming back, "yeah I know! But I have nothing to wear!"

Honestly, Satan tries to attack us through avenues like trying to live up to the world's standards. Because we have Jesus in our hearts, he cannot affect us in such a way where he consumes and posseses us, however, he can shove all these things in our face that are hard for us to overcome. Through little things like reading romance novels that make us doubt waiting for the right guy, or when your "Christian" friends want to go see a movie that is "just PG-13" when you know that it will have inappropriate scenes and language in it. Those little things in life are so important for us to conquer. When God asks for our whole-hearted devotion to Him, He is pretty serious about it. In God's eyes, even those small seemingly petty things like worldly music and magazines can have an affect on our attitude.

Galations 1:10
Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

I am trying to make a more concerted effort to be thankful with God has blessed me with! He can give me the power and strength to overcome even those small temptations in life. He really does care about every hurt or worry we could ever have.

1 John 5:14
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

That's the amazing thing about God! He doesn't want us to be frustrated with trying to please the world. If we ask Him to help us with that, He will! (:
Have a great weekend girls!


In His Love,
Jessica

Purity Rings

Hey Girls!

How's everyone's summer going? Busy? OH yeah, mine too.

I am here today to talk about purity rings. Recently, I got mine for my birthday.
Purity is a big word, and honestly most people don't live up to it. I personally think that girls who are really living for Christ will want to honor their future husband and God. Unfortunately, our culture has crazily messed up the word purity and it's barely even used without mocking tones anymore.

Song of Solomon 2:7
Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

I am very much looking forward to presenting my purity ring to my husband on my wedding night. It was a promise that I made before God that I would stay pure and that is so special!!
You can get many different purity rings. Mine is the one above in the picture. Depending on your style you can get small, big, bling, simple, or whatever you wish!!

Anyway, I'd love to hear about you purity ring so comment below and tell me why you chose purity!!

Your sister in Christ,

♥♫•Madison

Reflection of His Glory

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Growing up in church, I have always been taught that I was made in the image of God. It was something that I was well aware of but something that did not have much precedence in my thoughts. Over the past couple days I have come to realize how important and special that makes each and every one of us.

Have you ever really considered what that means? We were made in the very image of God Almighty; in His likeness.

2 Corinthians 3:18
¹⁸And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

When we turn to the Lord and become one of His children, we are the reflection of God's ultimate, radiant glory and are gradually being transformed into the very likeness of Christ Jesus. God shows His love and His compassion through His reflection in us.
The more we allow Christ to renew and alter our mind, the more progressive the reflection of Christ becomes in us. The less we are renewed by Him, the more we hide the image and reflection of Christ in us.
We were created solely to bear the image of God. When our outward actions and feelings do not reflect Christ, we are not fulfilling our purpose in life. Without God we have absolutely no reason and purpose for living life. We are hopeless. ONLY through Christ can we fulfill our destiny and our purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11 (King James Version)
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

The Hebrew word for thoughts in that verse is machashebeth meaning designs, purposes, intentions, and plans. God knows exactly how your whole life will be like and He has the most amazing intentions and and plans for us if only we will fall head over heels after Him. If we will surrender ourselves completely to His will and inwardly and outwardly reflect God's glory we will be living our lives in the best way possible. God's ways are perfect. God knows the designs and intentions he has considered and imagined specifically for each individual person on this earth! His plans are not to bring us harm but to bring us peace and prosperity. HE KNOWS. I wish I could just shout this aloud to you. GOD KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR YOUR LIFE! All we have to do it surrender our fleshly desires to Him and live in His will. That's all He asks from us.

We have to spiritually die to our sinful, old self and be raised up in Christ! We become a walking, breathing testimony of God's grace and redemption when we accept Jesus into our hearts.

Colossians 3:9-12
⁹Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. ¹¹Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

¹²Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Strip off your old flesh, and be restored by God! We have to make the conscious decision to bear Christ's image inside and outside of us so that the whole world can hear the good news of Christ. Renew and transform your mind by God's Word and conform to the pattern of Jesus. His footsteps are the perfect example of how we should live our life. Our job as bearer's of the image of God is to emulate His love and mercy to everyone we encounter. Bring outstanding glory to the One whose image you were created and formed in!

Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Take Heart

-2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Therefore, we do not lose heart...
We keep up our courage, we soar on wings like eagles taking hope in the Lord.

Though outwardly we are wasting away...
The things of this world are beating us down. People slander us with gossip, tear us down with their looks, treat us like scum because of our faith.

Yet, inwardly we are being renewed day by day...
God's grace is sufficient for us! We are daily sustained by His Word. He showers love and mercy on us.

For our light and momentary troubles...
Right now, in the moment, our troubles and worries seem unscalable. But in comparison to what Jesus has done for us, our troubles are hugely insignificant! Life continues; we can put our trust in HIM.

Are achieving for us an eternal glory that fair outweighs them all...
We are not beating the air like an aimless man. We are not enduring persecution from people for nothing. There is a light at the end of the tunnel! We can look to the eternal, the everlasting. No matter what happens on this earth, we you take stand for the Lord you will be rewarded. Your commitment is not in vain. We are people who have hope for the future.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen...
Not looking to the left or the right, we concentrate solely on the goal. Fix your eyes on the Lord. Focus on His will.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal...
Do you understand what you have been saved from? We have been rescued from eternal damnation in hell. Forever. Because of Jesus' sacrifice we get to spend forever and ever with Him in Heaven. Never ending paradise. Can you even imagine? Popularity, friends, clothing, money, shoes, purses, food, shelter... is all temporary. ETERNITY is what really matters.

John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."


In His Love,
Jessica

Showing LOVE

Hey Girls!

Recently, I had my best friend come back to town for a couple weeks. It was awesome.
Of course, she had to leave again.
But hey, it's all good! She'll move back in a couple years so I'm super excited about that!
Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Anyway, that's not what I'm here to talk about.
For my birthday, I went to the mall. While I was there my and a few friends went to get some ice cream. The man behind the counter was very sweet and kind. We made small talk and he told me and my friends we were beautiful girls and to always stay that way. Just those few words made my day! I could tell this guy was serious about his faith.
A couple days later I went back to the mall (yes I know, I'm a mall junkie) and went to get some more ice cream(yes, I love me some vanilla). The same old man was sitting behind the counter again, this time reading his Bible. He slowly looked up at me and smiled. He recognized me and my friend. "You were here a few days ago weren't you?" he asked. "Yes sir," I replied.
He then started giving me a beautiful "sermon" on how he could tell me and my friends were different from the culture around us. He told us to always stay beautiful with our smiles.

Honestly, I probably won't see that kind old man again, but he made a powerful statement for Christ. I'm guessing he witnesses to all his customers. He is truly living out his faith and really showed what God's love is really about!!

John 13:35 (New International Version)
35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."



Show eachother some love girls!
:)
Your sister in Christ,

♥♫•Madison

Would a loving God send people to hell?

One of the greatest things we need to do as believers is to know our Bibles and be able to defend our faith. If we do not have a firm, strong foundation on which we base our beliefs, our faith will crumble the first time someone plants doubts in our mind. A prominent question that non-believers and believers alike have is why a loving God would send someone to Hell.
The Bible does talk about Hell as a real and ugly place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The first thing we have to believe and know before we can understand Hell is that we are all sinners and deserve to go there. The punishment for sin is death and eternity in Hell. None of us are perfect, we all sin. God is divine and perfect and cannot be around sin, which means that we cannot get to Heaven without those sins being taken away.

"For the wages of sin is death" -Romans 6:23a

The amazing thing is that Jesus died for each and every one of us. Through His Ultimate Sacrifice we have to opportunity to go to Heaven because He already paid the punishment for our sin.

"But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 6:23b

The thing is, God never sends anyone to Hell. He doesn't want anyone to go there. We choose to go there if we do not accept Him. He stands at the door of our heart and knocks, asking us to accept Him. But if we do not accept that gift, we are rejecting Him, and quite frankly, accepting Hell and living for Satan.

Revelation 3:19-21
¹⁹Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. ²⁰Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.


So the easy answer to the heavily debated question is that God does not ever send anyone to Hell. He gives each and every one of us a chance to accept Him as our Savior and Lord. It is up to us to choose to receive that gift. God gave us free will and desires for us to spend eternity with Him someday. But he doesn't force that on us. All we have to do is make that simple choice. Accept Jesus as your Savior and live forever in Heaven; reject Him and live forever in Hell.
What choice will you make?

Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Hey girls!
We just wanted to give you a heads up that we will be gone for the next week!
We will be back on Monday, June 21. (:
Have a fabulous week!

iheartministry

He Cares

Our God is a relentless pursuer, a consuming fire.

God's Word says that He calls out to us. He longs for our whole heart; complete devotion to Him.
So often we can get caught up in looking towards the future. It always seems that we are sitting around waiting for something. But God longs to fill up you right now. He wants you to stand up for Him now. He wants you to study His Word now.

In order for God to fill us up with His glorious Presence, we have to empty ourselves of sin. We have to die to that sin, and be raised up in Christ. Empty and cleansed of self, full and renewed by Him.

Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Our hurts and worries matter to Him. He hears us when we call.
Yesterday, I was talking to my mom about how I needed to really start saving up money for a car.
2 hours later I get an email from someone wondering if I could babysit their kids 3 times a week during the summer.

And you don't think God cares?

We serve an awesome God. Give Him the praise and glory He deserves! Recognize His greatness, because He is so worthy.


Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Happy Birthday Madison!!

Today is Madison's birthday!! :)

As I'm sure you all can tell, Madison is a wonderful young women who radiates God's light in everything she does. She is a such a special friend who always has something kind and encouraging to say and is full of happiness and smiles! She would be thrilled if you all left her a birthday note letting her know how appreciated she is.
I love you Madi, hope you have a wonderful day!

Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

You Love Me Anyways

Love your enemies? People that hurt you? I don't think so.

Sometimes people are going to say something to you that hurts your feelings. I'm sure it has already happened before! And I know personally, my first reaction of choice would be to say something back to them that would hurt them. To treat them the way they treated me. It only seems fair, right?

I had something like that happen to me last week. To other people it might have seemed like it wasn't really a big deal, but it really hurt me. For a few days I was really really mad at this person. I didn't want to see them, to talk to them; I wanted to avoid them at all costs.

But something hit me the other day. Satan was using them to test my reaction. To see what I was going to do about it. He is just waiting for me to go tell all my friends about this. He knows what they said got under my skin. And I'm supposed to forget what they did and love them? At first, the thought was ridiculous in my mind. I thought that being mad at them would somehow change what happened. Make them feel bad. But it didn't... and it won't.

Then I got to thinking...we do the same thing to God every single day. We are like, "hey God, I know you really hate it when I lie to my parents, but... um... I just did it. again."

Romans 5:7-8

⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While we were living in the filth of our sin, Christ gave His life for us. For me, for you, for that person, for the world. Every single sin I have committed was heaped upon His back when He carried that cross. In light of Jesus giving His life for me when I was cruel to Him, I think I can be nice to this girl. I think I can forgive her and love her.
If your dealing with someone who has hurt you and are struggling to forgive them, I know how you feel. It is really hard to let whatever they have done to you go. But God tells us that we have to love one another. No matter what they have done to you. Because, chances are, you have done something or said something mean to them too. But even if you haven't, you still have to forgive them! Let it go. Let God handle it. Because He will; and you will be reaping a reward in Heaven far greater than you can imagine because of that.

1 John 4:19-20

¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

(Sidewalk Prophets, You Love me Anyways)

"I am the thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas’ kiss
But You love me anyway"

Your Sister in Christ,

Jessica

How to Change the World

So you wanna change the world, what are you waiting for? -Natalie Grant

1. Talk the talk-mean what you say
Matthew 5:37 "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

2. Walk the walk-follow in Christ's footsteps
2 John 6 "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."

3. Live the life-search for God's plans for you, then live them to the fullest
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

4. Be willing to give it all-let Christ be your motivation
Matthew 10:37-39 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Abortion

Stop abortion! DO something for all those little innocent babies! :)

Let's get out and not just talk about it but DO SOMETHING! :)

Guaranteed

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
²¹Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, ²²set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

When we accept Christ into our hearts and surrender our life to Him, the Holy Spirit enters our heart.
The Holy Spirit is our guarantee for salvation. We have been claimed and and sealed by the Lord. When God seals us, He will never "un-seal" us. We are His child forever and nothing we can do will ever change that. Some people see that as an opportunity to sin and still be able to get to Heaven. They still want to indulge in sin that seems fun at the time, but is temporary and fleeting.

Romans 5:20-6:2
But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ¹What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ²By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

Because of our sin, God's grace covers us and brings us eternal life. But we cannot go on living in our sin. We have died to sin and been made alive in Christ! If you were addicted to alcohol and had been without it for years, would you purposely put yourself in a situation where you would be tempted by it? Would you go to a bar and just hang out? Of course not! You would most likely avoid it at all costs because you have been set free without it. It's the same way with our sin. Our flesh desires crave sin; it's like an instinct to us. But since we have been set free from it by the blood of Jesus, why would we go back to it? Would you put yourself in a situation where sin is prominently abundant? No.
Yes, no matter what we do we can never lose our salvation. But that does not give us a right to wallow in sin. It gives us a right to abstain from it.

That is why 1 Corinthians 6:19 says "you are not your own." We have been anointed by the Spirit and are not living for ourselves any longer. We are God's because His Spirit lives inside each of us. We still have the free will to make choices for ourselves, but don't you think it's your obligation to abstain from sin? He has saved us from eternity in Hell; the least you could do is strive to live according to His Spirit.

1 John 4:13
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

Galatians 5:16
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

We all have the power to resist the temptation of sin because of God's Spirit. This week, make an effort to do just that. The Holy Spirit has sealed us; we are bound and ready for Heaven! But don't let that be an excuse to live in sin. Be controlled by the Spirit!

Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Trust and Obey

2Timothy 1:12
That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

Over the course of my life, I have entrusted people with many things: possessions, valuables, thoughts, and dreams. Most of the time, those people took seriously what I had entrusted to them, and they cared for it, protecting what I gave or told them. Others, though took the responsibility very lightly; they ruined my possessions and shared my secrets. I'm sure this has happened to you as well. Usually it is easy to tell when someone is not worthy of trust, but harder to tell when they are. We know God is worthy of our trust because of the history we can see. Throughout the Bible, the Lord fives the utmost care to everything, not neglecting anything. He cares especially for His children, and all the things they put in His care. He will guard whatever you give Him! Christ cares immensely for all your talents and abilities, so put them in His care. However, as your Creator, He would love for you to trust Him completely with your life. Do you believe He is worthy?

In Him,
Becky

Known and Loved

John 4:13-14
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

We are a HOLY nation!

Hey Girls!
Today I'm here to talk about being different. We are called to be different.
Sometimes I don't like the thought of being different because I just want to fit in with the world. Maybe it's the little things such as wearing a bikini, gossiping, or cussing ,but we all want to fit in at some point in our lives.

I've always thought that trying to "cool" was pretty much, stupid. You know....the girls who flaunt their bodies, laugh at crude jokes, or roll their eyes behind their parents back. That's the norm in this day and age.
I'm here to tell you it's time to be different!
People WILL NOTICE!

One of the reasons I wanted to be normal and fit in was because I felt there was no one out there who would appreciate it. Just kinda live live ya know? Boy was I wrong!
I was SO lifted up today when I found this blog:
http://www.susiemagazine.com/Blogs/Through-The-Guy-s-Eyes/May-2010.aspx

There are actual guys out there who appreciate us trying to be modest and have a servants heart! Even though your effort may seem like it's going to waste trust me, it's NOT!
You are setting an example for all the unbelievers. Trust me, they will notice your different lifestyle. They have mine. It's a fabulous way to witness. Even if you only witness for a couple seconds, you are planting a little seed in their hearts that might eventually grow into something big.

1 Peter 2:9 (New International Version)

9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Anyway, I hope this post encouraged you to live DIFFERENT!
Go change the world! :)

♥♫•Madison

Every step that you are taking, history is in the making.

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.


When you read through the Bible, especially the story of Israel, it's easy to see that they repeated their mistakes, like being prideful and following other gods. It is pretty simple to see that they could have learned from their mistakes, but, just like them, we have a hard time learning from ours. Maybe you look back on your past and feel horrible because of the people you've hurt and the mistakes you made. However, if you have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus, those things aren't there to make you feel guilty. They are there to help you grow and learn.

In Christ Alone,
Becky

Rebellion

Danger entices us. "Don't look!" someone says, and our first reaction is to look. Sometimes it seems "cool" to do something dangerous and different because you know you will get in trouble for it. I know that seems like an oxymoron but it's true. The world proclaims that if you are a teenager, your sole purpose in life is to have fun and be rebellious. Ignore every moral your parents have ever instilled in you, lose your virginity, drink, party, and love life. If you do that you are totally okay. Normal. It is accepted and allowed. Yeah, sin is fun- but only for awhile. It's got to end sometime. And usually it doesn't end easily. The majority of teenage rebellion is directed towards parents and authorities. Most teenagers don't rebel against their friends. We have an awesome example of rebellion in the Bible and what God thought about it.

Numbers 16

Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent and rose up against Moses. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"...

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the assembly, 'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.' "

...So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.

...the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.

These men were rebelling against their leaders- Moses and Aaron, and they were swallowed up whole by the earth. God obviously takes rebellion seriously.

Proverbs 17:10-12 (New Living Translation)
¹⁰ A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding
than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.
¹¹ Evil people are eager for rebellion,
but they will be severely punished.

As young adults, our sole authority over us besides God is our parents. They have been endowed by God to raise us and we are called to obey them whether we like it or not. We will be disciplined and rebuked by many of our peers, but that will make no difference in our life if we do not listen to their advice. Be wise and understanding instead of stubborn and rebellious.

Proverbs 19:20 (New International Version)
Listen to advice and accept instruction,
and in the end you will be wise.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jessica

Give 110%

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

This past week I've experienced a lot of bad attitudes. Often there is a lot of talent waiting to come out of people, but is blocked by selfish desires. "I want you to give 110%"
Coaches tell their athletes this all the time. They want you to do your very best. So does God. He wants you to push yourself hard until you simply can't go any further. It doesn't matter if it's a soccer game, chasing your life dream, saving your first kiss, or running for president. he wants you to try. HARD. It doesn't do any good to go halfway. You can't be in-between. Either don't try or give everything.

Revelation 3:16
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Wherever you go in life go with your whole heart. Never give up. You may fall over, but you'll be able to get back up. Whatever you do, do it as if you were doing it to save your life.

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Just Stop

Have you ever thought that Salvation has drifted from the child-like faith and commitment to Christ in the New Testament into a system of rules, regulations, and guidelines? One of the huge parts of Salvation that seems to be overlooked by many people is repentance.

Matthew 3:2
...and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 21:32
For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Mark 6:12
They went out and preached that people should repent.

Luke 13:3
I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Acts 2:38
Peter replied,"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit..."


Repent means to feel remorse for your sins and to turn from them. According to God's Word, you cannot receive the gift of Salvation with out turning from your sinful nature. Of course, no one will ever be sinless, but we should begin sinning less. If you see sin that continuous on or has not been confessed, that may be a sign to evaluate your relationship with Christ. Ask God's Spirit to bring to mind anything that is contradictory to Him and help you remove it. It is hard, but behind it all is a simple idea: just stop! When you are really working toward removing sin from your life, you have freedom to grow in Christ and to hear His will; an open line of communication. Prayerfully consider all areas of your life and take action to clean out the garbage.

I'm praying for all of you! :)

In Christ,
Becky

Prayer for a Friend

It's really hard to see your brothers and sisters in Christ struggling. I have friends that are facing challenges ranging from illness to an abusive parent. I feel like I can't do anything to help them, but when you really think about it, I can be doing one of the most effective things. Praying.

James 5:16 (New Living Translation)
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

We really do not comprehend how powerful our prayers can be. We have a direct connection to God through the Holy Spirit who is inside each of us who are saved. Think about that. God Almighty who created the universe, who formed you in your mother's womb, and clothes the lilies of the field; you get to talk to Him. How amazing is that?

So what can we specifically pray about for our friends?

Pray that they will be comforted by God's love. (Psalm 117:76)

Pray that they will make the most of every opportunity God gives them to witness to others. (Colossians 4:3-4)

Pray that God will give them boldness and courage when talking to unbelievers. (Acts 4:29)

Pray that they will have faith that God can and will do anything. (Hebrews 11:1)

Pray that they will be bright lights in the darkness of the world; that they will shine like stars! (Philippians 2:15)

Pray that they will stand strong against Satan and not let him get a foothold into their life. (1 Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 4:27; Ephesians 6:11)

Use that God endowed power that you have and pray! Although you may not be able to fight any physical wars, you definitely can fight a spiritual war for them.

Colossians 1:9-12 (New International Version)

⁹For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^a]"> to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jessica

Worthy of Praise

It's easy to forget. It's easy to think it's all about me. Sure, sometimes I think differently. Sometimes I notice the world's problems, what is going on around me. But is that what it's really all about?

Umm, no.

Revelation 1:8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

I love this verse! Somehow it puts everything into perspective. No matter what is going on with me, God is still Sovereign, still Lord, and still deserving praise. I'm amazed by how much He loves me, how much He loves all of us! Truly and honestly, He deserves nothing less than continuous praise, and we deserve death. By His infinite glory and grace, He grants us the privilege of life! Don't you think He really deserves our praise now? What an amazing, awesome, infinite Lord we praise. Live a life of praise for His never-ending glory!

In His Love,
Becky

P.S.- Thank you for all your feed back on "Thoughts on Love"! I'm working on my second "installment" now, and am looking forward to hearing more of your input!

In Christ Alone

Lately God has been teaching and showing me that HE is all I need for fulfillment. I don't need to look to anything besides Him; friends, boys, youth group, school; none of those things will make me feel complete.

Isaiah 40:31 says: "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

God alone is our hope and strength. We can't rely on our selfish, sinful flesh to sustain us.

Psalm 73:26 (New International Version)

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

God has so many promises in His word that we can hope and trust in. I am so comforted by God's love, mercy, and grace that He pours out upon us. He loved us as lowly sinners. And He continues to fulfill us day by day.

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jessica

Here's my LIFE!

Yesterday wasn't a great day for me. My coach's family member died. I had allergies. I learned my friend was bi. My friends were heartless to each other.

It broke my heart to see us, God's children, acting so immature and ungodly. Sometimes we don't realize that God really is up there above watching our every move. He IS actively involved in the earth and didn't just "leave" us to be on our own. I clearly see this now.
I was having my Bible study two days ago and I had a certain face pop into my head. I started relentlessly praying for them all day. Little did I know that a couple days later they would be facing a very hard time in their life. Coincidence? No, it was God. God is up there watching us. He is up there helping us. He is taking hold of our hand and helping us through.
He is SO WORTHY.

I never realized how amazingly he was still working here upon earth until yesterday. Even though part of my world has been crashing down, he has been raised up. One song that has really helped me this past week is Here's My Life by Barlow Girl:

Here's My Life

Girls, I know life isn't going to always be easy. God uses these time to make us so much STRONGER.


James 1:2-4 (New International Version)

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

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Meaningless Talk

Gossip is something that all of us girls struggle with. Some of us maybe more than others. Our speech is something that we really have to keep a handle on. Besides gossip, I often find that girls are prone to simply talk about meaningless things. Recently I was reading on a christian girl forum and some girls were talking about how they wouldn't date a guy if he wasn't between a certain height. My first thought after reading that was "why does it matter?" If God sends you the right guy, are you not going to marry him because he is too tall? My other thought was how immature and and very...ungodly like it sounded. I'm not saying that whoever started and replied to that forum thread was a horrible person! But I do think that when you have your priorities straight and God is the number one focus of your life, those things don't really matter. I didn't see Christ through that conversation. The Bible clearly states that meaningless talk is a sin and not something to be proud of.

1 Timothy 1:5-6 (New International Version)
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.

You can either have a pure heart and sincere faith, or you can turn to that meaningless talk. Obviously those things do not all go together. Is Christ being put to shame and trampled because of your unruly tongue that indulges in meaningless talk? Or are you lifting Him up and bringing glory to Him with your mouth?

Romans 1:28-30a (New International Version)
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers...

People with a depraved mind are gossips and slanderers. Does that sound like a child of God to you? My life goal is not to have a depraved mind. And quite honestly, I highly doubt anyone is striving after having that. But according to those verses, gossips and slanderers are fruits of a depraved mind. So what does that say about you? What does that say about your mind and character?

Titus 2:9-10 (New International Version)
Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

That verse isn't directly talking about meaningless talk and chatter but it does show us something about how we are to act in our speech and our life. Paul was telling slaves to prove themselves as hardworking and trustworthy so that their masters would see Christ through them and that their behavior would hopefully lead them to the Lord. Although none of us are slaves, we should also present our self to others in the same way so that our life will be a witness to someone! When we spread slander and gratify our sinful desires with meaningless talk, we are not respected and are not attractive to unbelievers. Our life should be beautiful and attractive to the lost so that they will wonder what it is that makes us different from the rest of the world and come to a saving realization of Christ.

Proverbs 12:18 (New International Version)
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

In order to get a handle on the bad habit of meaningless talk, you have to make a serious effort to do so. I am a big talker, so the thing that helped me get a little bit more control over my tongue was to step back and not talk. I still talk with my friends and such but I try not to just talk about whatever pops into my head. It is also great to get some note cards and write bible verses that encourage and remind you to watch your tongue. One verse that helped me get a handle on my tongue was 1 Peter 3:4 which says, "a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's sight." I want to be of great worth in God's sight, and a quiet spirit is one of the things I need to master!
So tell me your thoughts! What do you do to combat the temptation of meaningless talk? What are some things that help you?

Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Contented

Hey Girlies!

Today I'm gonna talk about being content. Lately, I haven't exactly been content with my life. I want more friends, I want to listen to certain music, I want to go to public school....the list goes on. As I have been thinking about all this I felt God telling me that He is using this time in my life for His greater purpose. Even though I may be lonely or restless he is using that time to rely on Him. My Nanna is the most contented person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She is always so happy and always giving to others. I wish I could be more like her. She has lived in the same house forever, she pays for our dinner(well when we let her!), she drives her old-lady friends all around town. Truly, she is a great example for all my family.

Philippians 4:12 (New International Version)
12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

No matter what my needs are I know God is up there always looking out for me. Even though I may be going through some tough times I don't understand at the moment I will TRUST in Him and his great plan.

I encourage you to do the same.

Your sister in Christ,

♥♫•Madison

Thoughts on love

I would like to pose a question: What is love?
Do you truly know what love is?
The Bible actually tells us what the greatest love is.
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
So, what is love? It's commitment. It's sacrifice. I know those are all "churchy" terms, things you've probably heard over and over again, but do you really put them into practice in your life? Loving someone is not being attracted to them. Loving someone is not being grateful for all they do for you. Love is an action, a verb. I've heard it said that this is not "boyfriend-girlfriend" love...but I think it is. What would a marriage be like if the husband and wife weren't constantly putting the other before themselves? The relationship would fall apart (as marriages often do these days). What is the point of dating? It's to prepare for marriage. Relationships with people of the opposite gender really aren't supposed to be taken casually. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you should completely shy away from guys (or girls if you are a guy), but you need to guard your heart. I'm pretty sure you can think of a time when you found yourself more attached to someone emotionally than you want to be; I know I can. I want to challenge you today to really consider your future. Think about how the relationships you have today are going to effect the goals and dreams you have. Don't let anything hinder those dreams!

In Christ,
Becky

P.S.-I would love to hear your thoughts on dating. Please leave a comment or shoot us an email!
P.P.S-Expect to hear much more on this soon!

Patience

Galations 5:22 (New King James Version)
But the fruit of the Spirit is...longsuffering.

I have always thought the word longsuffering was much more applicable to what patience really is. Having patience is not a walk in the park. It is suffering for the good of others, for possibly a long time.

Patience is not freaking out when your computer randomly shuts down when you are in the middle of trying to post. (yeah, totally happened to me this morning. I think God was trying to teach me something :)
Patience is allowing your siblings to push the buttons on the elevator. :)
Patience is letting someone else ride in the front of the car.
Patience is controlling your anger when someone steps all over your new books.

According to dictionary.net patience is: a minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue. Uncomplaining endurance of evils.

I like how it said uncomplaining endurance of evils. You are not patient when you wait your turn to do something and complain about it the whole time. Patience is to be seen, not heard.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 (New International Version)
And we urge you, brothers...be patient with everyone.

We aren't to have patience with just our friends or people we like, we are to be patient with everyone. Like Madison was talking about yesterday, we even have to be patient with those mean girls. I know for me some of the hardest people to be patient with is my family. Because I am with them so much, I seem to ignore the fact that they are real human beings and they are precious in the sight of God, and I am very impatient with them.

1 Peter 2:20 (New Living Translation)
But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

Although patience is a difficult virtue to attain, we do not strive to be patient in vain! God is pleased with us when we are patient! To be patient we do have to suffer long; it takes time. But the more you are patient, the more of Christ's glory you reflect to the world! Who are you impatient with? What gets on your nerves? Point that out to yourself and work on changing your level of patience with that someone or something.

Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Mean Girls

Mean girls. Yupp, we have all dealt with them. The snobs. The jerks. The I'm-only-nice-to-you-if-I-wanna-be girls. Yeah, they aren't generally the nicest people out there.

I have dealt a lot with these girls. Trust me, it isn't easy. I'm usually a pretty quiet person but sometimes when they are annoying me with their mean personalities I just have to sigh and try and not retort something else back to them.

It may be a little thing such as not waiting up for you, or laughing behind your back but chances are these girls are going to get on your nerves. Since these girls have come into my life I have found the best of way of dealing with them is just loving them like Jesus. I am never rude to them but always compliment them. Guess what? Now they think of me as their friend. Even better, they aren't half as mean as they were. Let me tell you, this was a RELIEF for me. However, some of my other friends still aren't getting along well with them. The reason? They are resisting and being mean back to them. Being nice when people don't deserve it makes all the difference.

You know who I'm talking about don't you? Yes, you can see their faces in your head. Pray for them today. Even though they don't deserve it, they need it.

Matthew 5:44 (New International Version)
44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison

Make every day Mother's Day. Start today!

Although we may read through certain passages of the Bible many times, God always seems to have a way to bring to our attention different things and we may have overlooked before. I read the following verses yesterday as I was on a "road trip" with my family. They brought an overwhelming sense of God's presence into my heart and really encouraged me-especially the last 2 verses. I pray that God will touch your heart today and that you will continue to grow in your relationship with Him! Have a lovely week! :)

Colossians 1:9-14 (New International Version)
⁹For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. ¹³For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption,^e]"> the forgiveness of sins.



Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Creation without the BIBLE!

Hey Girls!

Yesterday I heard Ken Ham talk. He was amazing. I highly recommend you look up some of his articles on the internet or his website at: http://www.answersingenesis.org/

Anways, one thing he said really hit me. When we argue creation vs. evolution we all have a starting point. Either your starting point is yourself or it is God. You can't have both. You can't have an arugment for creation without the Bible. That is your FOUNDATION to everything you believe in!
Think about that for a moment!
When people ask you to prove creation to them without bringing religion into it you can't! That is your very foundation where you get all your answers.
Athesists are pushing God away because they don't want to be held accountable for their life. I can understand- I don't either. That doesn't mean I'm not going to live with my whole heart for Christ! When your friend asks you to explain creation without the Bible and explain your views from a neutral standpoint, you can't! She has her starting point too, it's just not the Bible.

Anyways, I hope you have a fabulous day and remember that God's word is your FOUNDATION!
Your sister in Christ,
Madison

A Reminder

When life gets busy, it is easy to forget where our eyes should be focused. This excerpt from Tomas á Kempis' book The Imitation of Christ is a good reminder.

The Ninth Chapter
ALL THINGS SHOULD BE REFERRED TO GOD AS THEIR LAST END
The Voice of Christ

My child, I must be your supreme and last end, if you truly desire to be blessed. Whith this intention your affections, which are too often perversely inclined to self and to creatures, will be purified. For if you seek yourself in anything, you immediately fail interiorly and become dry of heart.

Refer all things principally to Me, therefore, for it is I Who have given them all. Consider each thing as flowing from the highest good, and therefore to Me, as to their highest source, must all things be brought back.

From Me the small and the great, the poor and the rich draw the water of life as from a living fountain, and they who serve Me willingly and freely shall receive grace upon grace. He who wishes to glory in things apart from Me, however, or to delight in some good as his own, shall not be grounded in true joy or gladdened in his heart, but shall be burdened and distressed in many ways. Hence you ought not to attribute any good to yourself or ascribe virtue to any man, but give all to God without Whom man has nothing.

I have given all things. I will that all be returned to Me again, and I exact most strictly a return of thanks. This is the truth by which vain-glory is put to flight.

Where heavenly grace and true charity enter in, there neither envy nor narrowness of heart nor self-love will have place. Divine love conquers all and enlarges the powers of the soul.

If you are truly wise, you will rejoice only in Me, because no one is good except God alone, Who is to be praised above all things and above all to be blessed.

Girls, lets keep our focus on eternity today, and look to Christ. True delight will be found only in Him!

God Bless,
Becky

By faith

Hebrews 11:7 (New Living Translation)
It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

Most of us have heard the story of Noah numerous times, complete with pictures and a rainbow craft. :) But when you really think about this story, it is amazing the kind of faith Noah had. He completely surrendered to God's desires and threw off the condemnation that came from the world.

By faith, he built an ark to prepare for a flood. Rain water had never come from the sky before the flood. Noah trusted God and blindly took a step of faith with full assurance that God's divine plan would dominate.
By faith, he spent 100 years of his life preparing for this strange flood that was seemingly impossible.
By faith, he took a stand for God and was different. He warned the wicked people of the world of what was to come, and gave them an opportunity to save themselves. He was an outcast; shunned and despised by the world for not indulging in pagan sins.
Compared to the rest of the world, he was a crazy radical. But through his faith in God alone, he was saved and he received the "righteousness that comes by faith."

Is God asking you to trust Him with everything? He isn't asking for the mediocre, comfy Christian attitude, He wants all or nothing.

The faith which saves is not one single act done and ended on a certain day: it is an
act continued and persevered in throughout the entire life of man. ~Charles Spurgeon


Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica

Building Blocks for the Christian Life

2 Peter 1:5-8

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is easy in the Christian life to get caught up with serving others, learning all you can about theology and the Bible, and living like Christ. However, these things shouldn't come first. Faith is to the basis for all Christians. When people do not focus on faith and grow their faith, they can not be godly, loving, or controlled. Like any other hierarchy, faith must be in place before you can work on goodness, knowledge, control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love. If you are now a Christian, spend time increasing your faith, by talking with Christ and learning more about Him.
If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior, you can today. Know that God loves you. We've all done things wrong, and because of that can not be close to Him. However, in His great mercy, God sent his son Jesus Christ to live a life here on earth without sinning. He died unjustly, having never done anything wrong, in order that our wrong could be covered by His blood. If you want to be redeemed, to be able to come close to God, just cry out to Jesus. Tell Him you are sorry for the sin you committed, and that you believe He paid the price for you. Commit to living a life based around Him, and tell someone about your decision! If you accepted Christ, we would love the chance to talk to you (iheartministry@yahoo.com). Find a Bible and get into it. Join a Bible believing church and get to know your brothers and sisters in Christ. I'm praying for you!

In Christ,
Becky :)

Separated

God's intent for our lives is not for us to be influences a little by the things of God. We are told to abandon our our sinful lives and live passionately and ardently after Jesus. He wants all of you. We surround ourselves with so much filth from this world. But we are called to total separation from sin, nothing short of that. But really, you can just stay locked up in your room separated from everything for the rest of your life. It's pretty much impossible! But when you surround yourself with the love and peace of Jesus, He can and will fill your life! Sometimes it seems like God is so far away, but God never cuts Himself off from us. We are always the problem; something is holding us back.

Isaiah 59:2 (New International Version)

But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.

God cannot stand sin. He can't be around it. So when we indulge in that sin, and don't even try to stay away, God is isolated from us. My first thought is: How can we do that to God? When we sin, it's like we flaunt it in His face. We know He died for that sin; but we don't even care.

That makes me so sad that Jesus died this horrendous death to pay the penalty for our sin, and yet we still continue on that path.

But you know what makes me beyond happy? Is that even though we are born in our sin, when we become a child of God, we are made new once again!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (New International Version)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

I love this verse! It reminds me of the special gift God has given me: salvation. I have no words to express my gratitude to the Lord that He took my filthy heart, and made it pure and white with his blood.

Sometimes I feel so worthless, so bogged down in my sin, that I feel like there is no way Jesus would ever let me into heaven. But then I think about what God says in Jeremiah 31:3: I have loved you with an everlasting love. That just fills me with a peace beyond anything I can imagine. No matter what I do, God will always love me, and I can never lose my salvation! :) I pray that God will fill you with a peace and love that transcends all else; that helps you realize that whatever you have ever done, you are still precious in God's sight.

Your Sister in Christ,

Jessica

I declare this a WONDERFUL DAY!

Hey Girls!

I just wanted to say that today is going to be a beautiful day!!
We are going to have amazing new promises from God!
We are going to shine a light for Him!
We are going to spread his love.
He is going to smile down at us!
We are going to have DIVINE appointments!
LOVELY DAY!
FANTASTIC DAY!
IF GOD IS FOR US WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?!?

Your sister in Christ,
♥♫•Madison