A Prayer from the Heart

As I have been reading through the bible this year I have come across many passages that motivate and inspire me to draw nearer to our Lord and convict deep within to be a more obedient and faithful follower. Yesterday was another one of those moments as I read the latter half of 1 Chronicles 16. Below is David's Psalm of prayer in the chapter:

8 "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

9 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

11 Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

12 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

13 O descendants of Israel his servant,
O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

14 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

15 He remembers [b] his covenant forever,
the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

16 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.

17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

18 "To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit."

19 When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,

20 they [c] wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.

21 He allowed no man to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:

22 "Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm."

23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day.

24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

25 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.

26 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.

27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy in his dwelling place.

28 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength,

29 ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name.
Bring an offering and come before him;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his [d] holiness.

30 Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"

32 Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

33 Then the trees of the forest will sing,
they will sing for joy before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.

34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

35 Cry out, "Save us, O God our Savior;
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name,
that we may glory in your praise."

36 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Then all the people said "Amen" and "Praise the LORD."

The prayer begins with thanks to our Lord. It is so easy to bypass this part of prayer as we call on the Lord for things we may need, comfort in a trial, or as we intercede for others, but we cannot fail to give thanks to God for all He has done, is doing and will do in the future! It isn't difficult to come up with a handful of reasons on a daily basis to give thanks. Do it today!

Verse 11 tells us to "seek His face always"! In every moment of life, in every decision, in every triumph and in every trial we must seek Him, His wisdom and His faithfulness. Immediately after it tells us to remember the wonderful acts He has done! Again give thanks to our Lord.

The next few verses remind us of His never-changing character and His faithfulness as He keeps His promises. The covenants He made with man were never broken and the future acts He has promised won't be either.

Verse 23 tells us to proclaim His salvation day after day! That means as Matthew reminds us we need to be fulfilling the great commission on a daily and regular basis. It isn't an option friends, it is a command from the Lord. For as the next verses remind us He is good and He is MOST worthy of praise and should be feared as well! Verse 30 in fact tells us to "tremble" before Him.

And what better way to end then with a praise to the Lord. " Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;his love endures forever." May we always remember He is good all the time.

Let our prayers be times of thanksgiving, rejoicing, praising, glorifying, asking and waiting and may the God that has been faithful until now be faithful FOREVER!

Good Friends are Hard to Find

This past weekend I, as Lauren's maid of honor, was able to throw her a "last night out" type of bachelorette party. From the shopping, great chats, pool time, fun, and more importantly prayer over her we had it made me realize more then ever how much she means to me. Christ instructs us throughout scripture on the necessity of making Godly and glorifying relationships. Among the filth of the world is hard to come across people, friends in fact that truly do lift you up, encourage you, and more importantly set an example for you in deed and mind of how to glorify and love the Lord better. Lauren is that for me! I have had the privilege of not only watching her come to know the Lord, but watching Him sanctify her over the past four almost five years of her life. It has been such an amazing thing to watch as a best friend and it has spurred me on to strive to live a holy life. Her passion to honor Him in every area of her life motivates me and others to strive for that as well.

Friends, our brothers and sisters in the Lord, are important assets in our growing walk with the Lord. The body of Christ works together as a whole to glorify and honor our Lord and Savior and without each other we would fail miserably. We need each other. Where one may be weak another is strong and vice versa. It is through these God-ordained friendships that we are able to see the hand of God move. He has used Lauren and my friendship over the years to get through many trials and challenge one another to grow in Him. I thank God each and every day for her as it says in Philemon 4-7, "I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." I pray that as she enters this next season of her life that she will only get to know our Savior better and learn to serve Him more whole-heartdly as she desires to live a pure and blameless life before Him.

Although we will be separated by distance and our relationship will change dramatically I am confident that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it! And being confident that God brought us together as friends, I know we will be that into eternity!

More pics click to the left: MYPHOTOS :)

Biblical Womanhood

Recently I read an amazing book called Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney which I highly recommend, and soon after completed her and her daughter's novel Girl Talk which was the same ideas conveyed to a younger audience. Through the process of reading both of these books I have come to a serious revelation, one that takes humility to admit, but must be understood, we, I included, never "achieve" biblical womanhood, it is rather a continual process in which as Christ sanctifies us we become more and more a woman of the Lord. It isn't until we enter into everlasting with Him that we will be made complete. James 1:4 reminds us that, "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Just because we will never reach the peak of biblical womanhood doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for it, rather it should motivate us to live holy and annointed lives, set apart for the glory of our Heavenly Father.

After looking at a handful of verses throughout scripture the following list barely touches on the qualities of a biblical woman:
-noble character
-trustworthy
-self-controlled
-serving
-hardworking
-provider
-takes care of family
-takes care of oneself
-strong
-shows dignity
-wise
-faithful
-not lazy
-respectful
-respected...by husband, children, and others both Christians and non-Christians
-homemaker
-giving
-charitable
-takes care of home
-has respectable husband
-skilled
-crafty
-joyful
-trusts the Lord with the future
-hopes
-prays
-instructs biblically
-good family under the Lord
-fears the Lord
-gains eternal and earthly blessings
-faithful to husbands and kids
-has good kids
-servant
-does good deeds
-hospitable
-helpful
-devoted to serving the Lord
-reverent
-not compromising to the world's standards
-not of the world
-pure
-kind
-submissive
-teaching and teachable
-loves family
-not slanderous, but edifies others
-gentle and quiet spirit
-humble
(Proverbs 31:10-31, 1 Timothy 5:9-10, Titus 2:3-5, 1 Peter 3:1-6)

And of course the list could go on. You may read that and be discouraged as seeing so many things you fail at, but do not be discouraged but rather encouraged knowing that as Romans promises, He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Continue on faithful servant, in following the Lord's leading, reading His Word, meditating on His thoughts, praying without ceasing, and desiring to glorify Him in all you do, and you will continue to mold into a woman after God's own heart...not in your own strength, but in His alone that He may receive all the glory.

So what is a biblical woman? In short she is:
A woman who fears the Lord, whose heart is motivated to and desires to serve the Lord and others, glorifying Him in everything. This woman is self-controlled in all areas, faithful, pure in deed and thought, loving, wise, teachable, instructing, hardworking, humble, family-oriented, a servant, wellkept, hospitable, giving, blameless, holy, joyful, and praised by others.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30

Pursuing Holiness

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
-1 Peter 1:13-16

What does it mean to be holy? If you look up the word in Webster's dictionary you find this definition: exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness, divine as in God. If you ask someone walking down the street you may get a response like this, "holy art thou...perfect?", or ask the Christian and you get the response "set-apart", "like Christ", "different". But the question in my mind is do we really understand what holiness means? There are many Christians who are passionate about living for the Lord, about following His commands, and about going to church services, but I don't think most Christians are passionate about holiness. So where does the Christian start in discovering what holiness truly is, in the eyes of our Maker, and how to strive for that...well lets start with God Himself. God is our standard of holiness. God's holiness shows His absolute perfection. Look at verses like 1 Samuel 2:2, "There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God." He is unlike any other being, He is completely absent from any form or even a hint of sin and therefore nobody can compare or even come close to his holy nature. Does that mean we get discouraged and stop in our pursuit of holiness? Absolutely not!

Look in Leviticus where God told Israel to be holy. He was in essence telling them that they were to be different then all the other nations at the time, they had to stand out. Israel was God's chosen people and He had set them apart for a specific purpose. God had set standards for them to live by so that the people might see that they were different and that they belonged to Him. In the verse in 1 Peter, Peter is calling the believer, the one in Christ, to be holy and set apart from the world. John reminds us as well that we cannot "conform to the world". God obviously is not calling us to perfection as holiness would define, but He is calling us to a different life, a different standard; one that doesn't match up to or measure up to the world by any means, but to Him alone.

How can you become more holy. Holiness, the pursuit of it begins the moment your life is surrendered to the Lord and He saves you! In that right relationship with Him through the work of Christ on the cross He begins a life long process of sanctification and your lifelong journey of holiness begins. Realize that just being part of God's family already sets you apart from the world. Then strive to set your life apart for Christ, be different, don't shy away from spreading the truth to all you know (remembering you can do all things through HIM- Philippians 4:13), and live to glorify Him in everything you do. As you continue to develop a deeper relationship with Him through time in His word, in worship, in church service, in discipleship etc. it will spur you on to be holy as He is holy!

A great resource is Nancy Leigh DeMoss' book Holiness

Bitter Sweet

Goodbyes are rarely easy and often times change, although it can be good and necessary, can be extremely difficult as well. As most of you now know, I will be leaving this Fall to finish up my remaining two years of college at The Master's College. Although I am very excited to see what God has in store it is bitter sweet for me. I am saddened by the fact that although I will be back occasionally, it won't be the same in many ways. I will dearly miss Compass Bible Church and more importantly the amazing high school students and leaders who I have been privileged to serve with and lead and blessed immensely by. I am sad to leave my family who really are the joy of my life and my biggest encouragement in so many ways. And friends who could never be replaced. I will seize this summer for His glory and redeem as much time for Him as I invest in the lives of others this summer. I thought I would share with you all why I wanted to go to maybe clarify the work God is doing in my life at this point.

God has given each individual different gifts and/or talents that were designed to be used as tools for His glory. Whether your talent is in service or leadership, each gift is uniquely vital to the Body of Christ as a whole and as Romans 12 reminds us, the Body cannot function without each member. God has given many of His children the privilege to attain a higher education in order to fine-tune the gifts He has bestowed upon each one. Through this ‘refining’ process God continues to mold His children more and more into the image of His Son, and instills a vast plethora of wisdom for them to carry with them wherever He may lead. As we are sensitive to the Spirit’s leading in our lives, we are led exactly where He wants us to be (Proverbs 3:5-7). It is at this turning point in my life that the Lord has laid before me a blessed opportunity to gain not only knowledge for the future, but biblical wisdom that will not only equip me as a saint, but deepen my love for our Maker.
The Master’s College is rare in that it offers a sound biblical education, one that does not shy away from the true Word of God and that shapes young adults to go into the world and preach the good news (Matthew 28). My desire is not only to obtain more knowledge, but to also develop a deeper understanding and love for the Word and for the Lord. God has blessed me with a few gifts that I pray will be used for Him. One of those is encouragement/discipleship. I know that the Lord has continually placed younger, less spiritually mature girls in my path in order that He might use me to sharpen them or guide/train them. At Master’s I pray that the classes I take (hopefully some in biblical counseling) will equip me more sufficiently in disciplining and sharpening others in the faith. In fact I am in prayer right now as to whether or not to major in biblical counseling or to stick with my original liberal studies plan.
I truly believe God wants me to be a teacher. Whether that means to teach in an elementary school in a school in Orange County, at a women’s bible study in Colorado, or at a boarding school in Africa, I don’t know. I hope that the education that I receive at The Master’s College will equip me for wherever God leads. Jeremiah 29:11 provides assurance in that I can trust in God’s faithful promises and plan for not only my life, but for the lives of each and every faithful follower of Christ on this planet. God promises us in Hebrews 13 that He will equip us for every good work, what a truly refreshing and peace-bringing promise that is.
Why do I want to go to the Master’s college you might ask and my honest answer is to gain a better understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ and to obtain more wisdom in the areas that God has gifted me in. I hope that I will also build strong relationships with other like-minded followers of our Lord and that together we might be strengthened and sharpened. I pray that God brings people into my life, even at Master’s that I might share His grace with and that He gives countless opportunities for me to bring glory and honor to His name.
The question begs where I see myself in two years from now when I graduate, or even farther down the road and I can’t give you a definite answer. My desire to teach, to be a Godly wife and mother and woman of the Lord come secondary to my purpose of glorifying the Lord and spreading His name throughout all the earth. I could tell you that I see myself graduating in two years and continuing as a graduate student, but whether that is necessarily where God will have or want me in two years that I don’t know. A wise woman once told me be willing to do what God asks, wherever He asks, and whenever He asks. I can promise you this that I will keep on running the race that I have been called to, I will continue to ask for strength to pick up my cross and follow Him daily, and I will continue to strive to know and love our Savior with my whole heart.
I know that God has given me an opportunity here and it is a privilege and a blessing in and of itself. With this higher education I pray I will reach more for His name. Not everyone is afforded the option of going to college, or even more importantly a sound God-centered College in which they will be strengthened, encouraged, challenged and equipped on a daily basis. I can only thank the Lord for His loving kindness as Jeremiah writes. So why do I want to go away and what are my future plans, I think the Westminster Catechism puts it short and sweet, “To glorify God by enjoying Him forever!”

Seize The Summer!!!

As a part of our H.S. ministry at Compass Bile Church, we have decided to "SEIZE THE SUMMER". What does this mean you might ask. As we all know summer becomes a time when the busyness of everyday life comes to a halt and the days seem longer and the time more available. Although we tend to jam pack our summers with longer work days, more time at the beach, and every other possible activity just to make sure we take advantage of the change in schedule, we fail to realize that this time can be redeemed. In other words this extra time, and yes you do have it believe it or not, can be used for God's glory. I think what most people think of when they think summer is, 'sleep...sun...fun'. And although God has given us a break from the hectic schedules we all have, remember HE has given you that break and therefore HE deserves some of that time. So what better way to redeem that time then to set a goal for yourself to accomplish. Whether it be to read a great Christian book, read through the Bible, start a Christian blog, or memorize scripture, the possibilities for you to "seize" your summer are endless. Don't let this summer just be another where you accomplish nothing, redeem your summer for God's glory!!!
"Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together." -Psalm 34:3

Compass Spring Tea

Yesterday morning/afternoon was the Women's Spring Tea at Compass. It was so neat to see over 400 women (half of whom don't even attend)attend. I know the Lord definitely used the event for HIS glory! Each table was so beautifully and creatively decorated. The message was wonderful too...being transformed by Christ! Here are a few pics:

Faith Like A Child

"And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." --Matthew 8:13

I have had the absolute privilege of watching three children respond to the Lord's calling over the past few months, both of whom live in homes with luke-warm parents. What I have witnessed, the transformation that is, has been indescribable. I have never really understood the verse I posted above until I was able to witness these young children, all of whom are under the age of eight, surrender their hearts and lives to Christ.

These small children were so thrilled that this God, this mighty King loved them enough to send His Son to die for them and all the "bad things" they had done and in turn make them "perfect" in God's eyes. The precious words spouted forth from their mouth, "I believe" were priceless. It was that response and the difference in their attitude as their face lit up with joy that I saw a piece of God's glory.

As I pondered what children had that adults did not possess, or why Christ would make a comment like this, I realized that much of this child-like faith involves humility. We see the next verse says, ""Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven". Christ is referring to a topic, or an attribute that seems to be lost in most adults today, that of humility.


Ravi Zacharias puts it well:
Brennan Manning spells it out this way, "For the disciple of Jesus 'becoming like a little child' means the willingness to accept oneself as being of little account and to be regarded as unimportant," and may I add—that God is of great account and of utmost importance.

When I look across the landscape of the New Testament I see a church that believed in a Christ who was bodily raised from the dead. They believed it because they had adequate evidence and testimony for it. And when Paul says, "The just shall live by faith," it is because God's character and "faithfulness" is such that we can bank on his promises. When we cry out to Him in humility, He will hear us. Mature Christians believe in Christ because he is true and is an explanation on which all of life and reality can be based.

Let us do away with this cultural misconception that "childlike faith" equals "intellectual simplicity"; and let us walk boldly forward as humble children of God into the wisdom and greatness the Kingdom of God affords.