Without Condition

So this has been on my heart for a few days now...actually a couple weeks. Someone I know is going through a time where she's being loved based on condition by her own family. It brings to mind the phrase "love the sinner, not the sin." Where in the bible does Jesus tell us to love based on condition??? He loved us unconditionally. So why do we feel like we GET to place conditions on our love?

John 12:34 - 35 says ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”(biblegateway.com) 

Now I'm not saying that we have to agree with what someone's doing but we're suppose to love them regardless and treat them as such. Growing up I saw so many Christians who only loved if the person was a believer too. They felt they had the right to judge that person based on their sin. And many Christians today still do that. No wonder unbelievers don't want to come to church!! (I know this can lead to a conversation about legalism but for now I'm going to stay on the topic of love without conditions.) Too often Christians will be heard saying " I love the sinner, not the sin." That's like God saying "I love you, but I hate you." We're all sinners...saved by grace. But how did we become saved by grace?!?!? Because God loved us unconditionally. He went into the sinners homes and broke bread with them. He met the woman at the well. He met US in OUR darkest places. He didn't wait for us to come into His house. He still meets us where we are when we sin. I know I'm guilty of loving based on conditions. I find myself saying things like "but you don't know what they've done to me" or "they're so messed up" that shouldn't have an impact on me loving them. It's definitely a lesson i'm continually learning...but one I hope one day to fully learn. I don't want to be see as "that" Christian...I want to be seen as a Christ follower who truly loves people...unconditionally.

No matter the condition

Last year was a roller coaster ride of emotions and healing. I really began to struggle with the fact that God loves me no matter what condition my life, heart, etc is in...have you ever sincerely sat down and realized how vast God's love is??? It's so much deeper and wider than we can fathom. Grasping this reality was not an easy one for me. I could not seem to (and probably never will) fully understand His love. No matter what condition we are in, He loves us. He knew what we would do, the crazy decisions we'd make....yet He loves us unconditionally. Webster's defines unconditional as no limitations. To know that I am loved without limitations is mind-blowing. The realization that His love is infinite hit me as such a crazy idea. How could He love me?? I'm a dirty sinner. I'm human. I make mistakes. How could He love me so much He'd die this awful death?? How could He love me so much that He forgives me and washes everything away?? But He does. Over and over again His word tells us. Over and over His word speaks value, love, joy, eternal life into my own life. The hardest part is learning to forgive myself so that I can fully receive His love. Finally realizing this and accepting it is only part of my journey for my identity in Christ. I have a long way to go still. But I know that Daddy God loves me. And He loves you. Regardless of your past. Regardless of how you feel right now. He loves you.

Hopelessly Wrecked

It's been a while since I've blogged...life became insanely out of control. I blame it mostly on my lack of time on my face before Daddy God...it always seems to bring life back into line. We (I) tend to get so caught up in what's going on that we (I) forget that time with Papa is essential to life as a christian. When I needed to be on my face the most is when it became the hardest for me to get there...that and I carry a lot of baggage that I'm learning to let go of, but which the enemy uses as a distraction. I've had enough of the distractions. What the enemy doesn't know is that the sleeping giant has been slowly waking up and is ready for battle. No longer will I allow people, situations, baggage, work, etc to distract me from my quiet time. I have a call on my life and it is NOT to live an average christian life. I want to encourage you to fall on your knees, your face before God and allow Him to fully wreck your life. That's the prayer for my life that He would use me, break me, and wreck me for Him and His Glory...I want to be hopelessly wrecked for Him. I want to be soaked in His presence daily. He keeps telling me over and over again that He loves you. Regardless of what, who, and why He loves you unconditionally, limitlessly...He just wants you to spend time with Him...even if it's a moment each day...He desires that moment...cherishes it. We should desire and cherish it too. Become hopelessly wrecked for Daddy God.

Be Real

After some recent conversations with a couple different friends, it's hit me that Christians aren't real with each other. We hide the fact we struggle with things, because we don't want to be judge or have our business spread. This is not how it should be. Christians are supposed to lift each other up. We're not supposed to condemn, but love."This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12.  Gossip is something we're supposed to avoid. Yet we don't. If someone is brave enough to come to us with their struggle, we tell someone else in a way that sounds like we're saying it as a prayer request. "Girl, so-and-so needs prayer. They're..." God is not pleased with that. Just like we're supposed to stand out against the world. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" Romans 12:2. It's no wonder people in the world do not want to be part of Christianity. What good are we showing them? We gossip, are money hungry, have no real standards, and hurt each other. Yes, we're human but that doesn't mean we aren't called to a standard. As Christians we're suppose to show God's love to the world and live set apart. Yet continually we live in the world...accepting the standards set by the world. We're supposed to set the standard and hold to morals. I'm not writing this to condemn but to make you think and check your actions. I know I'm guilty of doing things I know I shouldn't...but I keep pressing towards the goal. I want the world to see God through me. So I'm beginning to change things...it's a process and not an easy one. But one I'm determined to work at every day. I challenge you to join me...think about your action before you do it. Change the world for Christ.

Can These Dry Bones Live?

Ok. So over the course of my life I have been on the mountain top and in the valley. I've also been in the desert. The desert is not a fun place....but I know God had a purpose for me walking through the desert. For a long time, I wandered through the desert like the Israelites...I was distracted by the things the world was offering. I would get back on track but then something shiny would come by and I'd lose focus. In the past couple of years, I've really felt a change in my focus. It's been a slow refocusing. And lately, I really feel that I'm standing on the edge of the desert (about time!). It's like I know I'm going to step into what God has for me soon. Over and over again, I keep hearing will these dry bones live again. So I finally called the Bible expert...a.k.a. Nance or my grandma. She told me where to find it in the scriptures. So I finally found Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel is lead to this valley of dry, dead bones. God asks him "Can these dry bones live again?" To which Ezekiel said "Only You know Lord." After that God told Ezekiel to prophesy life into the bones. When Ezekiel begin to speak to the bones telling them to grow muscles and connect together, the whole valley of dry bones begin to grow muscles and be put back together. Then God told him to speak to the winds and command it to breathe life in to the bones. So he did. And the wind came and put the breath of life into the bones. This is exactly where I am in life. My bones...my spirit man has been in the desert and dry for way too long. It's time for me to speak life to my bones. To become saturated with the breath of God. No more dry bones. I want to be full of God...full of His love. My prayer is that I become so saturated with God. I don't want to be a Christian who lives life with standards of the world. God hasn't called us to be that kind of Christian. We're called to stand apart. The Bible even tells us to be in the world but not of it. Too much these days, we're so worried about being politically correct or we're afraid of what someone's going to say. Well I don't care anymore! It's time for us to become saturated with God and not just on Sundays. Speak to your dry bones...whatever areas you've been lacking God...don't stay dry anymore. This is not easy. Satan will come against you. He tries to come against me all the time. But i'm determined...stubborn for God. No more dry bones!!

I'm praying for you.

New to blogging...

So I'm a new blogger. I'm excited about it. I feel like God's going to use me through this blog to reach somebody. So be patient with me as I begin my blog. Feel free to leave comments. I'm going to post some things I have already written and had on Facebook. I feel like they need to be on here too.

God Bless!

Walk by faith

walk by faith

so lately i've been in such a spiritual warfare...and it's really just hit me how i was allowing satan to win. I had given up...had hit rock bottom...sometimes that's what it takes....completely hitting rock bottom before we realize we have to change...that something has to give. I walked out on everything i believed because i couldn't SEE God moving instead of standing on FAITH. So many times we feel like we have to see Him move in order to have the faith that He is there. But really this is when our faith is what we should be relying on...if we FEEL we have to see God moving we are in reality relying on our feelings....which will get us nowhere...relying on feelings will just cause us to get farther and farther away from using our faith...farther and farther into a pit...God even tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:7 to walk by faith not by sight. This became real to me as i was sitting here listening to a Jeremy Camp dvd...he talks about his song "Walk by Faith" and how he questioned God over and over about why his wife wasn't healed...why she had to die..and God spoke to him and told him that He didn't want to tell me b/c then Jeremy wouldn't be using his faith...sometimes when we are in the middle of a storm we ask God why...and he just wants us to use our faith...to build it and make it stronger...sometimes we don't need to know why...

Satan using our feelings against us...our emotions are so up and down...but God loves us no matter how we feel...we need to trust him...we need to walk by faith...