Lies that Young Women Believe!

This past month I read a book called Lies that Young Women Believe, By: Nancy Leigh Demoss and Dannah Gresh. It has really encouraged me to work on truths and burn the fire of lies that are raging in my head. I just wanted to type out this last chapter in their book... It was super encouraging and I wanted to share it with you all. I hope you all find it very encouraging like I did, and hopefully you all will want to buy and read their whole book. Because it was super encouraging.

"THE TRUTH THAT SETS US FREE- Powerful truths to counter everyday lies

In this final chapter, we want to highlight twenty-two Truths taht we believe will radically transform your life if you will choose to believe and embrace them. These are key Truths we find ourselves going back to over and over again. 

Can you do us a favor? Rather than skimming through this chapter, take the time to focus on these liberating, life-changing Truths. 

In the days ahead, anytime you realize you are believing lies, go back and review this list. Let the Truth of God begin to replace the lies and renew your mind and heart. Meditating on the Truth will change the way you think, the way you respond and the way you live! 

#1. When you're having a really bad day and are tempted to feel that God is not good- GOD IS GOOD. (Psalm 119:68; 136:1). When everything is going just right, it's not hard to believe that God is good. But when you get into a fight with your best friend or are dumped by your boyfriend, the Enemy will move in and cause you to question God's goodness. The Truth is, regardless of your circumstances, regardless of what you feel, God is good, and everything He does is good. 

#2. When you feel far from God and are tempted to feel that He doesn't love you- GOD LOVES ME AND WANTS ME TO HAVE HIS BEST. (Romans 8:32, 38-39). God doesn't love us because we're lovable or worthy, but because He is love. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn or deserve His love. We cannot fully grasp God's unconditional love because no human being can ever love us perfectly or fill the deepest needs of our heart. If we believe God's love is real and receive is, it will transform our lives. 

#3. When you feel ugly or fat- I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE (Psalm 139:14). Through you are bound to have a bad hair day now and then, God still considers you His masterpiece. He crafted you just as you are with precision and purpose. 

#4. When you feel rejected- I AM ACCEPTED IN CHRIST (Ephesians 1:4-6). You may have been rejected by a parent, a friend, or a boy you liked. But if you are a follower of Christ, you are accepted by God. We don't have to perform to get Him to accept us. Even though we are sinful, we can stand before God clean and totally unashamed, acceptable to Him. How? Because Jesus- the pure, sinless Son of God- is acceptable to Him, and we stand accepted before God through Jesus!

#5. When you feel you need more 'things' and are consumed by your desires- GOD IS ENOUGH (Psalm 23:1). 'The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want' (KJV). You've probably memorized that verse. But have you ever thought about what it means? AS a shepherd cares for his sheep, God has promised to meet all the needs of His sheep. The Truth is, if we have Him, we have everything we need.

#6. When you feel anxious about your circumstances- GOD CAN BE TRUSTED (Isaiah 28:16). God keeps His promises. He has promised never to leave or disown us (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised that those who trust in Him will never be disappointed (Psalm 22:5). When you feel fearful or anxious about circumstances or problems, remind yourself that God has never once let anyone down (Psalm 56:3), and HE is not going to start now!

#7. When you feel like something has happened to you that will ruin your life forever- GOD DOESN'T MAKE ANY MISTAKES (Isaiah 46:10). Sometimes other people make serious mistakes that affect our lives. But if we belong to Christ, He is holding our lives, and nothing can touch us that has not first been 'filtered through His fingers of love.' That doesn't mean we won't have problems- we will! But if we will embrace those challenges as being from His hand, HE will use them to draw us closer to Himself and to make us more like Jesus. 

#8. When you feel like you can't handle a problem you're facing- GOD'S GRACE IS ENOUGH FOR ME (2 Corinthians 12:9). As children of God, we will never face a problem that is too big for His grace to handle. Even where sin is seeming to run us over, His grace is greater (Romans 5:20). When we are weak, He is strong. When we are empty, He is full. When we have no resources of our own left, His resources are still, overflowing! No matter what you are going through right now, His grace is enough. 

#9. When you feel like your sin is too great for Him to forgive- THE BLOOD OF CHRIST IS SUFFICIENT TO COVER ALL MY SIN (1 John 1:7). There is not a sin you have ever committed or a sin you could ever commit that cannot be forgiven and covered by the all-powerful sacrifice of Jesus's blood. This should not make us take sin more lightly; instead, the understanding that our sin required the blood of the Lord Jesus should give us even greater desire to obey God, by the power of His Holy Spirit who lives in us. 

#10. When you feel like you'll never be able to overcome a sinful habit- THE CROSS OF CHRIST IS SUFFICIENT TO CONQUER MY SINFUL FLESH (Romans 6:6-7). Through the death of Christ and our relationship with Him, we have been set free from the power of sin. When you do sin, it's not because you couldn't help it, but because you chose to yield to your old master. The Truth is, we do not have to sin, and every sinful pattern in our lives can be overcome by the power of Christ living in us (Romans 6:14).

#11. When you feel like your potential is limited by your past- MY PAST DOES NOT HAVE TO CONTROL MY FUTURE (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 3:12-14). Satan tries to convince us that our past experiences and failures make us worthless, or that we will always have to carry that baggage of our past. But if you are a follower of Jesus Christ you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and set apart for His holy purposes. The Truth is that our past-the ways we have been wronged, and the ways we have wronged others- do not have to be hindrances. In fact, by God's grace, they can actually become the pathway to greater blessing and spiritual usefulness. 

#12. When you feel like you don't know where to turn for help and advice- GOD'S WORD IS SUFFICIENT TO LEAD ME, TEACH ME, AND HEAL ME (Pslams 19:7; 107:20; 119:105). The Word of God is alive and powerful. You can depend on His Word to change your life, deliver you from bondage, and reveal His will for your life. Whatever your need, whatever your circumstances, the Word of God is sufficient to meet that need. 

#13. When you feel like God is asking you to do something that's impossible- THROUGH THE POWER OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT, GOD WILL ENABLE ME TO DO ANYTHING HE COMMANDS ME TO DO (1 Thessalonians 5:24; Philippians 2:13). God does not command us to do anything that HE does not give us the grace to do. That means,for example, that 

• there is no one you cannot love (Matthew 5:44);
• you can give thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18);
• there is no one you cannot forgive (Mark 5:44);
• you an be sexually pure (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4);
• you can honor your parents and respond obediently to their authority, even when you disagree with them or they are imperfect (Ephesians 6:1-3).

By depending on God's grace and the power of His Spirit, we can choose to be obedient, no matter how difficult the command!

#14. When you want to blame others for your responses- I AM RESPONSIBLE BEFORE GOD FOR ME BEHAVIOR, RESPONSES, AND CHOICES (Ezekiel 18:19-22). We may not be able to control the things that happen to us, but we can control how we respond to the things God has allowed to come into our lives. When we stop blaming other people and circumstances for sinful behaviors or negative patterns in our lives and begin to assume personal responsibility for our own choices, we will be released from the sense that we are helpless victims. WE will be free to obey God regardless of our circumstances. 

#15. When you are tempted to believe that your choices today don't really matter- MY CHOICES TODAY WILL AFFECT MY FUTURE (Galatians 6:7-8). The choices you make today will have consequences in the future, not only in your life, but in the lives for those who will come after you. 'Do not be deceived . . . . Whatever one sows, that will he also reap' (Galatians 6:7). Every selfish, sinful, or indulgent choice we make today will come back as a harvest in our lives. The harvest is often not immediate. But it will come. The good news is that you are young and you can still make good choices that bring about a good harvest. 

#16. When you want to resist an authority or feel like submitting will steal your freedom- THE GREATEST FREEDOM I CAN EXPERIENCE IS FOUND BY SUBMITTING TO GOD-ORDAINED AUTHORITY (Ephesians 5:21). When we resist authority, we become more vulnerable to Satan's attacks and to sin. On the other hand, when we willingly take our place under those God has placed in authority over us, we are granted God's protective covering. We also reveal to the world the beauty of God's created order and proclaim His right to rule over the universe. Best of all, Satan is defeated in his attempts to dethrone God, and we cooperate with God in establishing His kingdom. 

#17. When you feel like giving up on the church- I NEED THE CHURCH (Ephesians 2:19-22; 5:225; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Hebrews 10:25). The church matters to God and it should matter to us. Jesus loves the church and died for it. Every child of God is a part of the church, the body of Christ. Every member of the body needs every other member. We were meant to function as a whole body. You might be the hands, or feet, or eyes. We can't function without you filling your role. God's Word encourages us to not stop coming together as the body of Christ. You will grow best in the church, imperfect as it is. Stick it out. It'll be worth it. 

#18. When you feel that a career is more rewarding and valuable than marriage and motherhood- IN THE WILL OF GOD, THERE IS NO HIGHER, HOLIER CALLING THAN TO BE A WIFE AND MOTHER (Titus 2:4-5). God created the woman to be a helper to her husband and a bearer and nurturer of life. Marriage and motherhood are God's norm for most women. Young women should rejoice in this calling and prepare themselves to fulfill it if and when God reveals that to be His will for their lives. For a wife and mother, contrary to what our culture says, no career, no hobby, no relationship, no priority is more important or more fulfilling. To make a home, to be united with man in glorifying God on this earth, to nurture the lives of children and grandchildren, to train and mold the next generation- there is no higher calling and no greater joy.

#19. When you are tempted to sacrifice holiness for immediate fulfillment- PERSONAL HOLINESS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN IMMEDIATE HAPPINESS (Ephesians 5:26-27). God did not save us to make us happy in the immediate sense- He saved 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' (Titus 2:14 NIV). The Lord Jesus didn't come down to this earth and die so we could live for ourselves and our own pleasure, but so we could be free to life a life that please Him. Pleasing God will sometimes require sacrifices. But any sacrifice we make is temporary and cannot be compared with the joy and fulfillment we will gain in eternity. only through seeking to be holy can we every experience true happiness. 

#20. When you become consumed with wanting God to fix your life- GOD IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT CHANGING ME AND GLORIFYING HIMSELF THAN ABOUT SOLVING MY PROBLEMS (Romans 8:29). When life gets hard, our natural instinct is to demand solutions- to find a way out of our problems. If this is our view, we will be tempted to become discouraged and angry when God does not 'cooperate' with our agenda. What matters most to God is that we reflect His glory. Some of the problems that frustrate us that most are actually tools He has designed to make us more like Jesus. To demand that He provide a solution of an escape from that impossible situation may cause us to forfeit a higher good that He is seeking to bring about in our lives. 

#21. When you don't understand a difficult situation you're facing- IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE GODLY WITHOUT SUFFERING (1 Peter 5:10; 2 Corinthians 4:17). Suffering takes on a whole new perspective when we realize that it is an essential tool in the hand of God to conform us to the image of Jesus. The process of spiritual growth take place as we embrace the hard things, rather than running from or resenting them. 

#22. When you want things to go your way- IT'S NOT ABOUT ME; IT's ALL ABOUT HIM (Colossians 1:16-18; Revelation 4:11)! The world was not created to revolve around us. The entire universe was created to revolve around Christ. If our goal in life is to be happy or accepted or loved, than anything that threatens our well-being will be an enemy- an obstacle to fulfilling our objective. On the other hand, once we agree with God that we exist for His pleasure and His glory, we can accept whatever comes into our lives as part of His sovereign willand purpose. WE will not resent, resist, or reject the 'hard things,' but embrace them as 'friends', designed by God to make us like Jesus and to bring glory to Himself.

We hope you'll embrace these Truths and hide them in your heart..."

I hope this encouraged you and made you want to read the rest of the book. Honestly this book really helped me and made me really want to just grow in the Lord. It was super encouraging. Off to reading the whole book over again. :) 

Strong enough

Love this

This is super encouraging and super true. 

God is good!

God is so good, even through hard times... HE is good. For awhile I was really struggling with the fact that when I go through trials, I thought that God was punishing me and trying to just do it because He wanted to do it, and other reasons.

But yesterday, I went to youth group and my youth pastor happened to be speaking on this topic. WE are starting to go through James, and literally this book of the BIble has been super good for me to be in.

My youth pastor gave us all these points to think about and one of them was that, when we do go through trials... IT doesn't mean that God is punishing us... That was one of the big points that hit me. To know that, it really is encouraging.
BUt to know that when we do go through trials, it means that God is wanting to change us and to grow closer to Him through that time.

God is truly amazing! I know that I have been going through a lot lately... But to be completely honest, I would NEVER TRADE it for the world. Yes, sometimes going through some of this stuff is really hard and difficult. But once I get to the other side of it, I just thank God.

Thank you Lord for being willing to change me and love me still. :)

GBT Christmas ball

I know this is late, but in December we had a Christmas ball for our class. To be totally honest, I was extremely scared of going. I didn't want to be that loner that never gets asked to dance. I have been really struggling with that, because I have gotten bullied. So I kept worrying about whether or not I was going to get asked. It got to the point that I really didn't want to go, because of all of that. But then God convicted me and made known to me that if I don't go, it was just a stupid reason not to go. 

After a few days of worrying about it, I realized that even if I didn't get asked... That I would be fine with that not being asked. I wasn't going to worry about it. I could just ask other girls that don't get asked, and I would be fine with that. 

Anyways, when the day came for the ball. I got to the ball, and I just had so much fun with my awesome girl friends. I decided that it was going to be an awesome night no matter if I get asked or not. 

We did introductions of each family and then Mr. Hinrichs (our teacher) read his letter to the men on what kind of manners to have at this dance. Then Mr. Hinrichs told all the young men to find a partner and get lined up for the Grand March. As I just stood there thinking what girl I was going to ask, (thinking that I wasn't going to get asked to dance) my friend, Caleb came up to me and asked politely to see if I would like to dance. All my nervousness went away, and I was beaming with joy that the Lord blessed me in being able for me to be able to dance with one of my good guy friends. 

So we danced and had a great time. It was super fun! Then we went to the next dances... It was super fun! 

God totally blessed me though... Because I just trusted Him in little things... Like being fine with just asking girls, He totally blessed me.
Because every dance, one of my guy friends ended up asking me to dance. Honestly that was a huge blessing. Because I really have been struggling with my appearance and feeling like no one wants to hang out with me and talk to me. So it really blessed me that people asked me. 

Anyways, sorry for going on and on. Enough with that... Here are a couple pictures from the ball. 

 My little girl. She is just such a joy to be in my life.

 I love my sisters. They are just such a blessing to have in my life.

 The Grand March

 Getting ready for the Grand March. Oh I had such an awesome partner. :)

 Dancing with Joey! Thank you Joey for asking me to dance. You are an awesome brother to me.

 My goofy brother... Thank you Christian for asking me to dance. It was fun!

My brothers and me. I just love them to death. Let me tell you, they were very handsome. They are such blessings to have in my life. :) Love you guys


With that all done, I am sorry that I didn't have more pictures. I didn't have my ipod with me, so I didn't get very many pictures from this awesome night. :/ But next time I will try too.

Find You on my Knees

Love One Another!

One big thing that I have been learning is to love those who have hurt me. This is a huge thing that I am learning right now. When you run into them at places, it is always so hard to be the first to go and talk to them. But honestly, we just need to show them the love that Christ has given us. Yeah, it may be hard... But sometimes that is the only way that those people will change that have been hurting you.

This is just food for thought, because a lot of people struggle with it.

I pray that I would be the one to be kind, loving, and caring to those who have hurt me. And this hopefully will be all of your prayers too.

Journey through writing!

I hope you all are having a blessed day. I wanted to share with you all that I have always loved writing. I believe that God has given me the ability to write and to enjoy it. With that said, I have always wanted to write a book. When I was a little younger, I was very interested in wanting to write children storybooks. But as I continue to grow up and see all that the Lord has brought me through and has taught me. The Lord put it on my heart to write a book about various things. Trusting in the Lord, delighting in the Lord, overcoming peer-pressure (and only caring about what God thinks, instead of what others think.), working on our relationship with the Lord right now, instead of worrying so much about our relationships with others, and a ton more subjects.

One thing that I have been having trouble with is whether to write this book only to young girls, or should I do for young boys and girls that are all struggling with such things? I know that girls and boys go through situations differently, so I don't know if I would be any help to the young men that would read.

What I would like to ask is: I need others input, do you think I should write to girls only. Or to both genders?

Thank you all so much for everything. :)

Worn!

I hope that you all are not annoyed with all of my songs that I keep posting. But music is really something that encourages me. I am so thankful for music to be able to encourage me as I keep going on with my life. :)

prince of peace

This song has really encouraged me. Every time we sing it at my youth group, it encourages me over and over again. I love this song, and I would encourage you to listen to it. 

In the secret

You make Beautiful things

This song is such an encouragement to me. I would encourage you to listen to it. :)

Looking back on 2014

2014 was an extremely hard, but good year. As 2015 got closer and closer I became more scared of what this year was going to hold. Satan kept trying to tell me to give up, he kept telling me I just couldn't do it.
But then God reminded me of how faithful God has been to me. Even though I have been through a ton this past year that was extremely hard, I don't think I would ever want to have it any different way. He has totally grown me closer to Him and has blessed me beyond measure.

Yeah life is going to be hard at times, but I need to remember how sovereign He has been to me and how much He has been here for me. He has and always will be here for me.

Thank you Mario Kellie Limon for being here when I need someone to talk to and just share with. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR me and helping me. And growing me in The Lord.

I want to thank Kim Davis Catherine Hope Kristy Rodriguez Wood Tiffany wood, Caleb Bradley Elizabeth Bradley and many others for being here for me and praying for me as I have had a hard time. And thank you all for being here each step of the way.
I want to give a big thank you as well to my youth leaders Cristina MorrisBethany bolt, and Nathanael King for being here for me as well and wanting me to have a deep relationship with The Lord. Thank you guys so much for being here whenever I need you.

And I especially want to thank my Heavenly Father for all He is doing in my life and all He is growing me in. And all He continues to do.

I can't wait to see The Lord continue to grow me this year and the ones to come.