Keep your promises.

What a long Winter it has been, don't you think?

Though this is true I've found in amazing that for the most part my attitude toward is has been positive. I'm extremely thankful that God showed me a new Winter sport that I didn't know I loved! It's been so peaceful to Nordic ski nearly everyday and see the beauty God has created even during the Winter season.
In the past I hated Winter! I just wanted to hibernate for the whole dreaded season. However, while this Winter has been cold, snowy, and long, I've actually enjoyed it a lot.
I will admit though, I look forward to the warm sun and the smell of fresh cut grass.

Anyway,

God has been showing me many things lately and one big thing in particular is how important it is that if you've made a promise to Him you must keep it.

The Bible says it is better not to make a promise to Him if you don't think you can keep it than to make one and go back on it. 

Deuteronomy 23:21-23 -

If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.

Five months ago today, I made a promise (vow) to God that I am His and only His for an entire year. This is a pretty big deal for someone who always found it hard to be single.

I know God has a lot of work to do in me to prepare me for marriage, if marriage is His will for me.
Sometimes it can be difficult to wait for His work to be done in me.
I find myself wanting to know exactly what He needs to do in my heart to prepare me. What hidden things need to be healed or what hidden sins do I need to repent of? In my mind, if I know these things I can just "fix" it and then I'll be ready.
That's not how God works.

There are things that ONLY He can fix and I know that. I look forward to the work He will do as I can see what work He has already done in my heart.

Yesterday morning, after a lot of prayer the night before, God reminded me of how important it is to keep the promise I made to Him. I had started wondering if that promise was really something He wanted for me or not. Then the very next morning during my time with Him, He showed me the answer.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-7- 

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.

What I realized when He showed me this, was that whether the year of singleness was something He lead me to do or if it was just a hasty decision on my part, it doesn't matter. He is still holding me to that promise. It's extremely important that I keep that vow to Him.

And that's alright with me. I know there is a lot in my heart that needs healing so as I said before, I look forward to the work He is doing in me.

So if you have ever made a promise to God, small or big, be sure to fulfill it. Not because I'm telling you to but because God tells you to!

We need to remember that He is Almighty God and while yes, He is our Friend, He is also our Sovereign King and deserves the utmost respect and reverence.

Hebrews 12:27-29 -
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,  for our “God is a consuming fire.”

So, I realized how important it is to keep this vow of singleness to my King and I intend to do so. Again, I encourage you to keep your promises and remember to have reverence for Him, our Holy God.

"Invited by redeeming Love, before the Throne of God Above....Oh praise the One Who fights for me and shields my soul eternally....I'm face to Face with Love Himself, His Perfect, Spotless, Righteousness."

Brit

Whose Favor do you Seek?

Who do you seek favor from? Who do you wish would look at you and be totally captivated by who you are? More often than not we seek to find a sense of worth in the opposite sex. We seek to impress them and desire that they find us favorable to their eyes. We hope they find us beautiful and special. We work our bodies, wear certain clothing, put makeup on our faces, all in hopes that someone will look at us and think, "She is special, she is worthy of my love." Or depending on who is reading this, "He is special, he is worthy of my love."

Have you ever thought about what goes into your minds throughout the day? The TV is plastered with advertisements, shows, and movies, all filled with what the world deems beautiful and successful. This most often includes skinny, muscular girls with jobs in which they make six digits or men that look like models in GQ and drive expensive cars. (By the way, I typed GQ into google and the tagline that came up was: GQ Magazine Online: Look Sharp, Live Smart) Because life is all about what you look like, and if you look good you must be smart....riiight. I don't buy it and you shouldn't either.

As we watch the shows, read the magazines, drive down the road and see billboards plastered with such images, we start thinking....that is who I want to be. I want to have a perfectly toned body, have a model husband (or wife) and make a lot of money, then I'll be happy.

Think about the people this world favors. We watch the red carpet events and praise those who make millions of dollars, dress in expensive clothing, and make movies that are filled with sex and violence. Movies that tell us to cheat on our spouses, or just never get married, climb the corporate ladder by cheating and stealing, scoff at the poor and homeless, and do whatever it takes to make yourself feel good about yourself. The majority of movies, shows, magazines, and advertisements are all about seeking the best for yours truly.

So I ask again, whose favor are you seeking? Why do you push your body to the extreme to "get the best body you can" or pamper yourself by spending hundreds on spas and clothing? Are you trying to impress yourself or the world around you? Are you trying to evoke lust or envy from those around you? Are you listening to what the world is telling you about what is beautiful and what you should strive to look like or be like?

I'll tell you a short story about my old self. I used to dress mostly immodestly. I used to wear dresses with plunging necklines and short skirts, all in hopes of getting attention. I wanted men to desire me and women to want to be me. (lust and envy) I must say though, in my defense, I didn't always know that what I was wearing would evoke such thoughts from others. But, most of the time I hoped that it would. It was only until God changed my heart so drastically did I realize the error of my ways.

I listened to what the world said was beautiful and whom they said I should seek favor from.

It is all a lie. The world is infecting us with ideas that are false and will not bring glory to God.
The favor in whom we seek will all die away, if we do not seek favor from God. What the world favors is all fleeting and only focuses on the temporal, not the eternal.

What is more important to you? How your temporal body looks on the outside? Or how your soul looks on the inside?

Proverbs 31:30-

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

James 1:11-

For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

1 Peter 3:3-4 -

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (Emphasis added)

"Of great worth in God's sight"....again I quote, "in God's sight."

What is of great worth in our Creator's sight?:
"your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit."
"A woman that fears the Lord is to be praised."

By the way, a gentle and quiet spirit does not mean we sit in the corner and twiddle our thumbs and don't speak until spoken to. It means we are staying tuned to what God says about how to live life as a woman.
(Sorry men if you're reading this but remember these things if you are looking for a wife! Seek one that focuses on what God thinks of her)

As women, we should not be harsh or act angrily towards others. We should be nurturing and loving.
We should not be seeking favor from anyone but God. Our Creator. The One Whom knows you, and loves you more than anyone else ever could. If you are in Christ, God is always pleased with you, He always looks at you as though you are the only one on the planet. He is captivated by you, not by your outward appearance but by your heart.
Do not seek favor from men or envy from women. Do not focus fully on your outward appearance as if your life depends on it. It certainly doesn't. Your life depends on Jesus Christ and what He did for you. Seek to please Him and Him alone.

I emphasis again, if you are in Christ, He is already pleased with you, you have already found His favor.
If you do not yet know the freedom that comes from knowing Christ as your Savior, there is no better time than now to ask Him to change your life. You don't need a new workout program, spa treatment, or bigger house, all you need is Jesus Christ. Seek His favor, and His favor alone.

Now, also, just to let you know, I'm not saying that going to the gym and eating better is useless, of course we also need to take care of our bodies. I am only saying that we should not be doing those things just to get favor from the world or because that is what the world deems as beautiful. Our inner beauty is what matters to God and therefore, that is much more important than what our bodies look like on the outside.

Get to know God's heart by reading His Word. If you are in Christ, it is necessary that we live and look different than the world, therefore, reading His Word gives us insight as to how to do that. As I said before, if you are in Christ, He is already pleased with you, but in reading what the Bible says about Christian living, you will find that it is a lot more freeing to live like He tells us to live rather than to attempt to please the world by doing what the world says and living like they live.

Romans 6:16-

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Romans 8:15 -

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

"Yours will be, the only Name that matters to me, the only One whose favor I seek. The only Name that matters to me....Your love is all I ever needed."

-Brit