Is he worthy of you?

Let me clear the air real quick. This message was originally sent to and directed towards teenage girls; however, this message needs to be told to and heard by any female that is single, dating, or engaged.

Let’s talk… about boys/guys/men/relationships/YOU.

If you haven't already, find a place where you can sit alone and think about something…  Think about the kind of guy you want to date, what kind of man you want to marry. I'm not talking about looks, or materialistic things. I'm talking about the character, Christian living, respectful (of you, your body and your image), their lifestyle… all of those kinds of things. Write those thoughts down and keep them close.

Let’s talk about you first.

Do you date the next guy that walks in and shows interest in you, or are you careful to see what their relationship with Jesus is like first? Do you know your self-worth and value? If you don't, let me just tell you. You are worth SO much. Your heart, body and body image is worth so much. Your walk with Christ is worth so much... Don't compromise that or walk away from Jesus because of a guy/relationship. There is NO perfect guy out there, just like you aren't perfect. But there is someone out there that is perfect for you. Save your heart emotional damage and don't date just any guy. Jesus looks at you as a prized possession whose heart should be kept safe and protected. Don't allow any guy to destroy that or you!

Let’s take this conversation deeper.

Any guy that is more interested in what is going on underneath your clothes is not worthy of you. Any guys that is more interested in you in any sexual way, is not worthy of you. Any guy that talks disrespectfully to you or of other females is no guy worthy of you. Any guy that is more consumed with his self is no guy worthy of you. Any guy that makes you do things that you know are not right, is no guy worthy of you. Any guy that makes you feel uncomfortable, is NO guy worthy of you.

Any guy that loves Jesus and follows Him, is worthy of you. Any guy that realizes you're cute and attractive but knows self-control, is worthy of you. Any guy that respects you as a girl/lady and puts you before himself, is worthy of you. Any guy that knows the sexual desire is real and there, yet knows you're BOTH worth waiting for until marriage, is worthy of you. Any guy that pursues Jesus and worships him more than he worships you, is worthy of you.  Any guy that seeks God for his life is worthy to have you in his.

Guard your heart. Protect your body. Don't post pictures of yourself on social media that would lure a guy in - you are degrading yourself. Don't send guys inappropriate pictures of yourself - you are degrading yourself. It feels great to know someone finds you attractive, but don't for a second give your image to a "boy" who wants your body first and not your heart. They aren't attracted to you they are attracted to sin. God has called you to stand up for yourself and live your life to honor him in all that you do. God has SO much for your life; don't allow Satan to use your emotions/feelings to destroy you and your heart.

Be bold. Be brave. Be pure. Be different. Be the kind of girl your future husband is praying for.

Stop living and looking for the next guy that walks in, and let God bring the perfect guy he created for you, to you! You are a prized possession that should always be cherished. 

Shame

Wants to grab a hold of you and choke every bit of life and worth out of you. One bad decision, one mistake, one mess up, one slip up, that’s all it takes to become ridden with shame and guilt. Maybe it is a constant series of wrong choices and mess ups that has you there. Maybe it’s an old habit that slipped up. Maybe it’s a onetime mistake that you can’t get rid of. Whatever it is, shame is lingering there leaving you feeling defeated and worthless. You want to run and hide from the crowd. You don’t want to go back to the place where you messed up because you remember the faces of those around you that watched you mess up. You don’t want God to help you because it feels better to hide from Him instead. You don’t really know how to ask God for help because you’ve already asked one hundred times before, yet here you are again.

The first humans to ever be created felt the same guilt and shame. Yet, through God’s mercy and love towards them (us) he still chose to use them. It would have been so easy for God to destroy them, and start over. But he didn’t.  

Can I be completely honest? Some days I feel like I completely SUCK at parenting. I overreact, get flustered, and let my emotions show too much. I don’t know about you, but Satan absolutely loves to mess with my mind. This day in particular, I overreacted with one of my precious kids and Satan went all kinds of crazy on me. It wasn’t immediate though. Just as soon as I was about to drift off to sleep that night, shame came over me and in that moment my mind went to so many extremes. I immediately begin to make a plan on how I was going to withdraw to myself and not face the people I overreacted in front of. I had every good excuse going. I woke up the next morning and tried to pray it out, but couldn’t. There was a cloud over me that I couldn’t break through.  

Plan B... Change my prayer from being about me and my sorry self (how I felt at the time) to facing the enemy head on instead of cowering down to him. After all, life isn’t all about me. For the rest of the afternoon I begin to breakthrough that cloud. As soon as that “shame” and embarrassed feeling would creep in, I literally had to shake off those feelings. Chris and I had a “discussion” the other morning (before the above situation) and he lovingly told me, “You have to stop allowing your feelings dictate how you live your life. Just because you don’t like how something is going, doesn’t mean you allow that feeling to control you. You choose to be happy or be miserable, and you need to start making better choices.” Now, while that may sound harsh. I’m glad he loves me enough to speak truth and life to me even when it’s hard. I started to get defensive, which is normally how I would react but this time I didn’t… because he was exactly right.

The shame and guilt you feel shouldn’t control how you live. Feeling guilty, ashamed, or sorry isn’t always a bad thing.  The Holy Spirit loves us enough to make us aware that we need to make better choices in our life. However, what we do with those emotions is up to us. We either hold on to the shame and guilt, which is what Satan wants, or we turn them over the Jesus. He took our guilt and shame so we wouldn’t have to live with it and in it.

As Easter approaches, all I can think about is that Jesus did not suffer and die a painful death for us to live in shame. He took ALL of that to the grave with him. What if Jesus only lived by his feelings? He himself spent time praying in the garden of Gethsemane because he was so overwhelmed with anguish over what he was fixing to do. Even Jesus tried to skirt around facing death, but he knew his purpose on this earth wasn’t only about him. It was about you and I. 

  

To you… struggling mom, feeling like a failure dad, trying to be a good parent, mistake making, and bad decision making individual Jesus suffered so you wouldn’t have to. He was raised to life, so you can have life.

He who the Son sets free, will be free indeed. John 8:36

{Indeed: certainly, undeniably, definitely}

party's over

When Satan attacks you right where its personal. When he knows exactly how to shake you up. What do you do?

It's so much easier living inside of our comfort zones. It has taken me years to climb out of mine, and here lately I want to crawl back inside. But on the inside of our comfort zones, is a selfish place. A place where no one else is allowed to enter. On the outside it is a vulnerable place. A place where you are exposed. A place where you open yourself up without knowing what you will get in return. As a Christian, it's the place where we leap out and trust that God will catch us, protect us and guide us. It's breaking through what is uncomfortable to find comfort. It's putting our pride down to serve others. It's loving people without knowing if you'll be loved back, and if you're not, it's still okay. It's going out of your way for someone you don't even know. It's hugging a broken soul and reminding them that God loves them.

It's being nervous.

It's being embarrassed.
It's getting hurt.

It's being fulfilled.

It's being Jesus with skin on.

It's giving life.

It's SO much more than just living for ourselves. Yet, it feels safe in our comfort zone because we control and protect it. We control who we allow in. We control what we do with those feelings inside it. 

God is still with us in our comfort zones and he won't force us to leave it. He will love us and protect us there, but what about those around us that need to feel that same love and protection?

It took Jesus getting out of his comfort zone for me and you so we would know of his love and salvation.  

It took him being vulnerable and exposed. Do we ever think that Jesus was nervous? Do we ever think he felt embarrassed being physically exposed before hundreds of people whom he was going out of HIS way for?

What if. What if Jesus stayed in his comfort zone? What if he rejected those people who constantly came up to him for help because he was "comfortable?"

As I was sulking in my own pity the lyrics of this song popped in my mind. God has called me/us higher, and deeper than any place my/our comfort zones could ever take us. Going back inside is well, going backwards. If you're like me, I spent WAY too much time trying to get out of my comfort zone that allowing the enemy to try and contain me there again is not an option.

So what do you do? First off, shut that pity party down. Keep those walls down and guard your heart and mind with the word.

And keep doing, or maybe start doing what you know you are called to do.

And I could be safe

I could be safe here in Your arms and never leave home

Never let these walls down

But you have called me higher

You have called me deeper

And I will go where you will lead me Lord

You have called me higher

You have called me deeper

And I will go where you lead me Lord

Where you lead me

Where you lead me Lord

{Called Me Higher - All Sons and Daughters}