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Three years ago during this time I wrote my very fist blog and every year since I have written one on New Years, so breaking the trend wasn’t an option. I re read those blogs today and it was so cool to reflect on those years and how I sat at the forefront of a new beginning when I typed out those words. I was then able to see how they played out over the course of that year. This time last year I was still a senior in high school fully convinced that there was no way I would ever make it to college. Soon I graduated from high school, spent my summer working at Camp Victory, and then moved into a dorm room and walked into my very first college class. Actually, walking into my first college class wasn’t that calm. I walked into the correct building, climbed three flights of stairs and then realized my class was on the first floor. I walked back down the stairs to a lobby type area and a set of doors that I had no clue what sat behind them.I just knew if I opened them I would be walking into a classroom full of people and I replayed every movie memory of how humiliating that might be. So instead I waited for some one more experienced to open the doors and then followed behind. Spoiler alert- it just led to a hall way which led to the actual classroom doors. Eventually I got the hang of things. My first semester of college came and went and now I sit just days away from the last semester of my freshman year of college. I didn’t believe them at first, but it sure does fly by so quickly.

Today I sat on my back porch listening to the rain pouring down and reflecting on the past year and reading some in Hebrews 11, the book of faith that I have read and have had read to me many times before. These verses however spoke such a truth to me that I had skimmed before, a truth so sweet to see right here at the dawn of a brand new year.

Hebrews 11:8-10

By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

I re read these words several times. Here are the parts that stuck out to me:

By faith Abraham obeyed

he went out, not knowing where he was going

in the land of promise, as in a foreign land

he was looking forward

whose designer and builder is God

Abraham was called to go to a foreign land and because He knew who his God was he obeyed and he went. He had no idea what his paths might bring him, he didn’t know exactly what each day would look like- except the last day. He knew that the Lord had promised Him this land and that it had foundations and that His God had designed and built it. That was all Abraham needed. He didn’t know where He was going, but just that His God had called Him there. At the start of this new year I have no idea what is to come. In a way I’m fearful of what bad things and bumps in the road might come with 2017. Im walking into what seems like a foreign land. I’ll end my freshman year, start a new job, travel to Nicaragua on a missions trip, watch my sister get married, move back to college to start my sophomore year, and who knows what else. Much like Abraham, I don’t know where Im all of where I’m going and whats to come but I know I have a promised inheritance. That’s not to say this time next year Ill be celebrating with a life that looks perfect and all is well- but it does mean that ultimately at the end of my journey stands a promised land that has been designed and built by God Himself. By faith, I can look froward at my God and at my promised land and step into this new year without a worry of what I will face because I know who my God is. By faith I can obey, I can go where I am sent, and do what I am supposed to do because my God has paved the way before me and is calling me every day closer to Himself.

May God bless you in the New Year. I pray whether it be valleys or mountains that you face that you come out on the other knowing and loving and glorifying Him all the more. He is good, don’t walk through this year without Him.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for the start of the new year. Thank you for your presence. Thank you for your promised land.

Love, Em

Hope can easily be defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen, according to webster dictionary. This type of hope can be experienced by any person with no discrimination. I hope to get a new pair of converse for Christmas and with great expectation I wait until Christmas morning to rip open the gifts beneath the tree to see if my desire and hoping paid off. There’s another side of hope that is limited. Not everyone knows and can experience this hope. Its not an expectation or a desire, its a truth and a promise. It’s not hope based off of the rise and falls of this world, but off the steadfast love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ. The world doesn’t know and cannot know this hope apart from Jesus. It doesn’t exist in the patterns of this world. This hope was born in a manger stall early Christmas morning many years ago.

Every Christmas I go through the motions of re reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 and reminding myself that Jesus is the reason for the season. This year has been a bit different, however. Over Thanksgiving the Lord tuned my heart to the word joy and poured truth over me as I grew in His word on the topic of joy and what it means for my life. As the Christmas season has been approaching the word hope has been heavy on my heart. Here is what the Lord has been teaching me…

What are things that come to mind when you think of Christmas?

Family, friends, carols, snow, christmas lights, and of course  Jesus’ birthday. All of which are great things that are full of fun and happy connotations. Without the birth of Jesus all that we would be doing in life would be meaningless- it calls for great celebration! But let’s think about the very first Christmas from the perspective of Jesus. The word SUBMISSION comes to mind- incredible, mind blowing, humbling submission of Jesus to His Father.

Philippians 2:6 & 7

who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant and being born in the likeness of men.

Jesus sat at the right hand of God in the form of God and humbled himself to come down to earth and be born, just as you and I are born, and submit to human physicality, human will, human limits, human struggles, human temptations and human mind. He human in complete form. While He still remained God, he bled as you and I bleed, he cried as you and I cry, he experienced emotions and feelings just as you and I do. He knew that coming to earth meant death on a cross and He submitted to the will of His Father. On that very first Christmas,  Jesus stepped down out of heaven and went from God to human so that we could rejoice. He gave up glory so that one day we could experience it with Him. Realize this- Jesus didn’t float through His days on this Earth without a struggle. Living a perfect life didn’t come easy to his human nature just as it wouldn’t come easy to us. He knew that there was no other way, He knew it had to be done, so He did it. He lived a perfect life, died a sinners death, and rose victorious.

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This is where hope comes in: because He lived the life that I couldn’t and took my place on the cross and rose to life defeating death and promised Himself to me if I would only repent of my sins and give my life over to Him, what He won on the cross would be mine.

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As a believer this truth makes me want to run around in circles and jump up and down. My life has purpose because He submitted to the Father’s will. And get this… it doesn’t stop there.

Hebrews 6:19 & 20

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Unlike hope defined by the dictionary, this hope that we get to experience as believers is ALIVE. Because He died the death we deserved and rose victorious and sits at the hand of God we know how our story ends. He became man in full so that He could say us in full (http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/jesus-is-fully-human), and promise us eternal life with Him. Our external circumstances do not determine His eternal promise. The winds can be blowing, seas be raging, boat capsizing- but this hope is a sure and steadfast anchor for our souls. This hope carries us, guides us, drives us forward because we know that His promise will not be shaken by anything that this world throws our way.

Christmas isn’t always the easiest time for some. Having experienced death myself with losing my dad, I know first hand that the holiday season makes living that reality a little bit more difficult. With all the family gatherings and memories being made, a  big piece of heart is missing. For others it might not be death that makes this season hard to bare. It might be waking up on Christmas alone, not being able to provide Christmas as one would like for their family due to financial issues, broken relationships, distance from loved ones, the list goes on and on. It seems as if the weight of the world is 5X’s heavier during this time of year. The sin of the world is felt all the more during these days. It’s effects on our lives is without notice. The truth that we live in a fallen world is evident. If you know Christ, however, it doesn’t have to be that way. Yes, we feel the pain of death but we know that His Word says that death has been defeated and that one day we will walk side by side those loved ones again that knew Christ as their savior. We see that money is lacking, but He promises His provisions to meet all of our needs. We experience the brokenness of relationships but His Word says that even in this broken and hurting world He gives life and life more abundantly. How? Because none of these things last. Our hope reminds us that this world is not our home and we are only pilgrims passing through.

Jesus,

May we be moved to action by this living hope that you bought for us with your submission. We know that it wasn’t an easy battle but you fought it because you knew that we couldn’t do it for ourselves. You willingly made less of yourself so that God could make more of us. Praise you for that Jesus! Thank you for this living hope that redefines my life. Thank you for paying the price, thank you for coming to earth, thank you for saving my soul. Jesus we celebrate you this season above all else! Even with hurting hearts, we hold fast to the truth that this world is not our home and that this hope flourishes even in the midst of the tears. Father I pray for those that don’t know you and don’t have this hope in their lives. Father, break down their walls, pursue their hearts, take whats stone and give it life. I pray that those of us that do know you would realize that we posses the hope and joy and life that this world so desperately needs and that we wouldn’t walk through this life without sharing it with others. Set a fire in our soul that cannot be contained. Father, you are so good. Thank you, Jesus. Happy birthday!

Love, Em

 

It is crazy to me how fast this semester has flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was unpacking bags with my mom and sister, nervous about sorority recruitment, if I would have any friends, and getting lost going to class. I had no idea what was to come.  As I have said before, I came into college with many expectations. I had watched friends go before and I had so many ideas of what my four years would turn out to be. I had an agenda for my freshman year and unknowingly the Lord had a completely different one.

The first few weeks of this semester were tough. I knew people, but I felt like I had no friends. I questioned if doing a sorority was something I should have done or not. Nothing was turning out the way I had expected it to. I was in my dorm every night way earlier than I wanted to be with no plans on the weekends except to go somewhere other than Troy. I was bitter, I was tired, I was fearful, and I was upset. For some reason I thought that as soon as I moved away from home this new place with all these new people would instantly become my new normal, but it didn’t. I had dreamed of the day of being on my own, and now that I was facing that season of life I did not understand why all I wanted to do was run back home.

Now I sit on the other end of that first semester. Has everything turned out just as I planned for it to? Absolutely not. As I look back over these past few months, however, I am amazed at God’s faithfulness to me. It look several weeks, but eventually I began to find my group of people. He blessed me with a few great girls that I finally felt myself around. I laughed with them, danced in the car with them, took random trips to Montgomery with them. He even established some friendships that were totally unexpected, but have turned out to be so incredibly sweet. I don’t stay out doing crazy fun things every night, but I know I always have people that I can call on now. Through one of those friendships He began The Redeemed girl’s ministry. We recently had out first gathering with over 60 girls. It was incredible! I was also recently elected chaplain of Alpha Gamma Delta, a place where a couple months ago I wasn’t even sure I fit in. Now I will get the opportunity to share what I’m most passionate about, Jesus Christ, with a bunch of girls that I have grown to love and cherish.

The beginning of this semester was a time of waiting and I wasn’t doing a very good job at it. I was trusting in my works and my treasures, without acknowledging what He might have in store. I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it when He had completely different plans that were so much better than my own that I was too busy to take notice of. And now I look around and am humbled by how He has worked things out in ways I never imagined and placed me in positions and friendships that I could not have thought of myself, and I am so undeserving of it all. This semester is a complete testimony of His grace and His goodness. College hasn’t been all that I expected it to be, but the Lord has been much more faithful than I expected Him to be.

Maybe you’re in a season of waiting like I have found myself in with many different things in my life. I’m not sure what you might be facing that might be causing fear, worry, impatience, or stress. We all struggle with different things. But if He has placed you in a time of waiting, don’t assume He has left you there. It isn’t a fun or easy place to be in, but it is a place where you can grow, where you can get to know your Father more, and where He can prepare you for all that is to come. It is a place of hope, worship, and learning. I was waiting with a bitter heart when He was weaving together beautiful things for me. I see now how faithful He has been. What if I had approached that time with expectant eyes, trusting in His work and His treasures? There are things in my life that I’m still waiting on, but after being humbled so from this semester, He has worked in my heart to view those place as places of opportunity, preparation, and growth- and I don’t want to rush it. What we can take away from this season might be the exact thing we need for what we are waiting for to fit just as it should in our lives.

I’m in awe of how faithful He has been throughout my life. I am not sure why I ever lack trust when I can look back over so many situations where He has shown Himself true to me. He is a good, good Father and is perfect in ALL of His ways, even the ones that don’t make complete sense to us. Let go of your own will and wait.

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!

Check out this incredible song, “While I’m Waiting,” by John Waller

Dear Abba Father,

Thank you for your faithfulness, for your grace, and for your way above mine. You are so good.

Love, Em

As I have scrolled through Facebook since the recent election, I am blown away by the arguments and diviseness among so many. Now, I am no political junky and have no desire to attempt to be one. Many times I have to turn to my 15 year old brother for an explanation to most anything in the news. In no way do I desire to write yet another political article arguing my beliefs regarding this election. There is enough of that going around already. You can’t force somebody to change their mind, and at this point in the election it serves no good to try. A decision has been made and we must move forward.

As a believer, no matter how the election ended could ultimately shake me. If it had turned out the opposite way there might have been different questions to ask, but ultimately it does not alter my life. Why? Because as a born again believer in Jesus Christ this world is not my home. As it says in Romans 8, nothing- meant in its most literal sense- separates me from the love of Christ. In verse 37 it even states the powerful victory that

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

As a Christian my life is surrendered to the King of Kings, above both Trump and Hilary. His throne is at the right hand of God, not in an oval office. The one who believes himself to be running against Jesus has already been defeated; the victory belongs to the Lord.

There is a great importance for prayer for our president, our nation, and our world during this time. In this moment, however, I have a very burdened heart for our church- the body of Christ. Not because we are being trampled, although the world would like to think that we are losing the battle, but because now is the time where we rise up. We cannot divide among our selves, we cannot lash out at a sinful world expecting them to live as Christ lived when they are so far from Him, and we cannot drown ourselves in fear and worry when we have a God that walked out of the grave. I do not have all the answers. I beg for wisdom on how to respond in love to opposition that shows the true nature of Christ without bending His rules and compromising on the uncompromisable. The Gospel isn’t tolerant, it offends, and it cannot be changed to fit our molds and makings. When Jesus walked this earth He did not stray to preach the truth. He did not hold back when somebody was offended that His way was not all inclusive of all ways of life. Somehow though, He still led people to the foot of the cross. He brought hope to the hopeless, mending to the broken, and joy to the mourning. That is what I want to take to the world around me. All I have to offer them is Jesus Christ and his redeeming grace, never ending love, and open arms. Romans 8:6 says,

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

In a nation that is waging war for the sake of peace, this is the only place that we will find it. And as a Christian, I posses that inside of me that Christ has charged me with the responsibility to take it to the world.

This is my prayer for the church:

Dear Heavenly Father,

You sit enthroned, may we not forget that. You are what was, what is, and what is to come and nothing and no one can change that. You hold the victory in your hands and we know that what we are experiencing here cannot even begin to compare to what is to come when you return. Father thank you for purchasing my freedom. Thank you for being such a BIG God full of love and grace and forgiveness so that I can wake up every day with joy in my heart and peace in my mind, no matter who is the president. I wouldn’t trade life with you for anything. God, our nation is experiencing so much division. There is a fight for unity, but we know true peace is only found in you. God, your church is among this Earth and you have called us to be united as one body with one ultimate purpose that revolves solely around you. God I pray that our hands, our feet, our legs, our ears, our eyes, and so on that makes up this body of Christ would not turn against itself. Lord, instead we must unite in the VICTORY that has already been won in you. We cannot fall prey to a world that does not serve you, when we were only meant to be here for a short time passing through to what is yet to come. God I pray that we would be ever seeking you and that in turn you would be pouring out wisdom and grace on us. Give us wisdom on how to respond to a broken world that points them back to you. Give us wisdom on showing love that represents you, but not in a  sense of being tolerant just to win people over. I pray that we would represent you in a way that people see more than rules, regulations, and do’s, and don’ts because you are so much more. You want to free us form the lesser because you want us to experience the best, and you know that that is only found in you. Your perfect plan for marriage, for life, for so many other things is being thwarted and people are missing out on your great design that is so so good. God you are good, and above all. Strengthen your church, empower us. We are only humans feeling the weight of this world on our shoulders, but we serve a God much bigger that has promised to be our guide and our strength. May your will be done in and through us.

Amen.

Rise up, church. Study up, church. Look up, church.

Love, Em

Follow the following link for a powerful song: Here as in Heaven by Elevation Worship.

How deep the Father’s love for us

How vast beyond all measures

That He should give His only son

To make a wretch His treasure

 

I’ve yet to experience anything so sweet as the love of Jesus Christ. In this season of life, I’ve found myself shaken underneath His love more so than ever before. As my first semester of college begins to come to a close and I look back over just the few months that I have spent here, I am in awe of my God. I once read a quote that said something to the effect of “sometimes we must be stripped of all, to see that He is all we need.”

I vividly remember my first week here in Troy. It was the first day of sorority recruitment with all types of nerves and emotions flowing through me. What I had anticipated for so long was finally a reality and I just knew it was going to be too good to be true. Before the week came to a close I sat countless times on my dorm room floor in tears of confusion, loneliness, and fear. I figured that since it was only week 1 the best was yet to come and all that I was experiencing that was not part of the plan would soon fade away. I would find myself making friends, having plans every night, and never have time to even consider being homesick very soon. A couple weeks passed by and although I had made a couple of friends and was surrounded by people, I had never felt so alone. I could not quite wrap my mind around what was happening. I had watched those that had come to college before me fall into normalcy in what seemed like in a couple of days, and was even seeing some of those around me in that time seem to jump right into the swing of college with friends that were as if they had known each other since toddler years. To put it straight forward: my first semester of college has been nothing that I expected it to be. I have cried many nights, my heart has been broken, I’ve counted down the hours until I could steal away and go home, and questioned if Troy was where I was supposed to be. I didn’t get into the club that I had hoped to, I’m still looking for the church that I will go to during my time here, I don’t have a huge group of friends that I hang out with every night till midnight, and sometimes I still eat lunch alone.

I was stripped of all that I had imagined college to be. I was away from my friends, my family, and my comfort. There was nobody to turn to, I only had one option: Jesus. I came to college with my faith, and had every intention to continue to grow in it here. However, I thought that would be from getting plugged into an awesome church, making friends with people sold out for the sake of the cross, and being involved with ministries on campus. Instead, it was a lot messier. It was tears, heartbreak, and doubt that led me to a place underneath His love that I had yet to experience. I had never dealt with the things that I was facing and been on the level that I was on. It was in that place that the love of Christ came in and filled every hole in my heart, caught every tear dripping down my cheek, and wrapped his arms around my shaking and cold shoulders. I was confused as to why I had been driven to my knees in this way, and I found that it was because if I had ridden onto the mountain tops as I had wanted to I would be attempting to feel a void in my life that was only meant for one thing: the fully satisfying love of Jesus Christ.

Although it was a place so unexpected, how thankful I am that is where I ended up. It’s hard to explain something so great to someone else without them having the same personal experience. This is where I find myself in explaining the deep love of the Father that I have experienced in this first semester. While visiting a friend’s church in Auburn last weekend, the pastor spoke on the greatness of Christ. He gave the illustration of thin ice shaking under the weight of someone stepping onto it. This happens because the person is greater than the ice and it can’t help but shatter beneath. The same is true in any other aspect of life, as is with Jesus in our lives. He is so much greater than we are. When He steps into our lives our worlds shake because we cannot help but move beneath His vast greatness. In my opinion, this perfectly describes my first semester of college. God continues to step into my life and I shake underneath His greatness compared to my own. It is not a scary shaking, but a shaking of my heart that wakes me up, brings life to dry does, and establishes joy in the deepest parts parts of my heart. He has and is continuing to fulfill me with His love like no other thing can.

As this semester is drawing to a close I am so overwhelmed by how faithful God has been to me. I came in with expectations of how college would be right away, and none of those came true. Jesus has blessed me instead with such good things that I could have never drawn up myself.

Palm 84:11 For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

This verse has carried me through many days throughout this semester. Sometimes I get caught up on what I want and frustrated when I don’t get those things, whatever they may be, but what a truth to know that the Lord God will withhold no good thing from me. As I have been learning, many times the things that I am hoping for are being withheld because He has something so much better. God is good, His love is great, and there is no place I would rather be than lost inside His arms.

 

Dear Jesus,

Thank you so much for this season of my life. Thank you more for your deep love that is far greater than any other love that could be offered to me. Thank you for growing me in this season and covering me in grace and faithfulness. All else falls so short in comparison to You. God thank you for revealing yourself to me in such awesome ways. I want nothing else as much as I just want to know you more! You are so good and I cannot help but love you so much.

 

Love, Em

 

I used to dread the topic of “my testimony.” Countless times as a middle-schooler I would tell my mom that I saw no need in sharing how I came to know the Lord, because I never felt there was a time in my life that I didn’t know Him. Even up until recently He has been reminding me of the VICTORY that He won in my life when He took my lifeless heart and breathed grace into it! All that I am today is a beautiful testimony of His goodness and faithfulness to me; once dead and lost, now redeemed and free!

It is true that there was never a time in my life that I did not “know” Jesus. This was just a head knowledge, however. I grew up in and around church (and how thankful I am for that!) My parents lived the Gospel at home, and taught us the truth of His Word! My church family was more than just a Sunday morning visit, but they were consistently and intently involved in my life from the time I was born up until now. I was raised on Alice in Bible Land books, VBS song motions, and Wednesday night kickball tournaments. I knew all the answers, how to say the best prayer, and every word to “I’ll Fly Away.” I KNEW God, but my heart was very far from Him. At some point I walked an aisle and said a prayer, and not that you cannot be in sincere in that because the Lord works in us all in different ways, but in my life there was no heart connection to my actions.

When I got into middle school, I began to experience a little bit of the “world” that I had never seen before. I learned that not everyone had the same church upbringing that I had. Because of my Bible raising, my mind was good at telling me right from wrong. When I chose to go along with the world, my conscious ate me alive. Sometimes it did not stop me,  other times I might sit in the background but with a heart burning with great desire for the worldly ways that I was seeing around me. I struggled with craving acceptance from the world with my entire being. My heart and my mind were so fooled by the lies that I was being told. I was so distant from the Lord, and I had my sights on a very slippery, dangerous slope. During the Christmas break of my 7th grade year, I experienced relationship with the Lord for the first time at a youth conference called Connect. For so long I had “known” God, but during those few days in the mountains of Tennessee, I experienced God. I learned that it was more than a head knowledge that I needed, but that the God of the Universe wanted a personal and intimate relationship with me. He wanted me to walk with Him daily and grow in His grace and His love.

For the longest time I did not feel that this story was worth telling. How inspirational could it be if I was raised in the church, toyed with the world for a handful of seconds, and then was brought to the place of understanding the death of my sin and my need for Him.  How many other people had the same story? Ive been through this in my head a thousand times over, but this past week the Lord reminded me once again of His Victory in my life and how POWERFUL it is and that is must be shared! I never came to a place that the world would consider “bad”. But what the world considers as good and what God considers good are two different things.

Romans 6:23a

For the wages of sin is death…

There is not a sin scale that determines good from bad, but it is all piled into the same bucket and considered death. I was dead. I was lost. I had no hope. BUT GOD.

Romans 6:23b

…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

My life is a testimony of His greatness, because without him saving my soul I would be in a very, very dark place. When I think about where I could be today I am so overwhelmed and gratefulness for my God. When I sing praises to Him, when I desire to tell others about Him, when I spend the summer as a camp counselor, when I read my Bible, when I spend time in prayer, when I love on others it is not because I am good but because HE IS GOOD. None of this is me, none of this is of my self, none of this is where I was heading. I have no reason at all to boast because all that I am is from Him. I have no idea why He would choose to save me to use as His vessel on this earth, but He has- and that truth blows my mind.

I was driving down the road the other day when I began to consider all of this again. Tears rolled down my face as I prayed to Him “God, thank you!” Whatever your testimony consists of- whether you walked down the dark path or only had the heart and were heading in that direction. Whether you were raised in church or did not know the first word to Amazing Grace. We are all united in our total separation and hopelessness due to sin. BUT when Christ comes in He makes you white as snow and He takes what is dead and breathes into it LIFE. That sends chills down my back! He has given me hope, joy, and ABUNDANT life (John 10:10).

It is the victory that I have found in Christ that drives me forward each day. I pray that if you know Him as your savior, the same would be true for you. Let us walk in the light of the life that we have in HIM ALONE. Let it change the way we think, the way we act, the things we do, and the people we love. He bought you with His blood, so WALK FROM THAT VICTORY!!

Titus 3:3-7

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly though Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

It is so easy to claim Christ. It is in our Instagram bios, plastered on our Facebook walls, and maybe even the background of our phones. So many people are claiming Christ. We are not called to just claim Him. He has saved us, redeemed us, given us new life so that we can not only claim Him, but also PROCLAIM Him. It is so easy to go along with the ways of this world and wear Jesus on your sleeve, I am guilty of this as well. But we have to be constantly reminded of the name that we are carrying around. How are you representing Christ? Don’t stop at claiming Him. If you are going to claim His death, His resurrection, and His salvation work in your life- proclaim it to the nations!

Our testimonies don’t end after we “ask Jesus into our hearts.” Our testimonies continue to be written every single day that we are given. This was laid on my heart a couple weeks ago and I wrote the following in response. Running our race for Jesus and living a sold out life for Him is not easy, but as I said before- it is HIS VICTORY that drives us on! It is not in ourselves, in our strength, in our ability.

On a hilly terrain lined with trees and brush, the race isn’t always easily run. Rocks trip us up, limbs crowd our view, and our breath runs short. We are to run our race with eyes fixed on the finish line, but that’s not easily done when all we see ahead is the next mound we must climb. Sweat drips from our brow and doubts cloud our thoughts. Is our sight set in the wrong direction? What if instead of focusing solely on the dirt underneath our feet and the pain in our lungs, we fixed our eyes above? Though leaves may block our view, as we continue on our journey forward glimmers of light break through upward. What if in that moment instead of growing weary by the miles left to run, we reminded ourselves why we are running in the first place; remind ourselves of the one that is unchanging and constant? The race might take us through different scenery where He is seen sometimes more, sometimes less, like valleys and mountains, but that doesn’t alter His presence. It is in those places where He is harder to see that our eyes for Him grow stronger. We must not question why we are where we are; for His understanding is unsearchable. We must fix our eyes on those glimmers of light and train our souls to fight and to run not because we can, but because He already did.

Walk from VICTORY brothers and sisters.

 

Father,

Thank you for my salvation! Thank you for the life that I get to live because of your son! I cannot praise your name enough, Jesus! I would be in such a scary place had you not stepped into the picture. You are so good to me. God, I pray that all that I do would point back to you, that I would be your vessel here and proclaim you with my life and walk in victory every day.

I love you.

Love, Em

I am a hopeless romantic. My heart skips a beat at the sight of love. One of the biggest desires in my heart is to be loved by someone and to love someone. I dream of the day that I get to walk down the aisle and join together with the one who will love me as Christ has loved the church. Simply put, I want to be madly in love. While it comes across as sweet and romantic, this can so easily become a distraction and can lead me down a very dark path. This hope to find love can weave its way into the inner parts of my heart and place itself above all, becoming an idol in life.