Working through the Unwanted- Leah

Today during prayer I was listening to Misty Edwards, an awesome worship leader from ihop (International House of Prayer) and God reminded me of Jesus’ ancestory. Instantly, I realized how much God really works through the unwanted.

Lets look at Judah; 4th son of Leah and Jacob.
Genesis 29:9-35- Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel, the second daughter of Laban, and promised to work in Laban’s fields for seven years. When seven years was up the marriage ceremonies began, but Laban gave Leah, Rachel’s older sister, over to Jacob in marriage not Rachel saying that it is tradition to marry off the eldest daughter first. The next morning when Jacob realized that it was Leah and not Rachel that he had married he was not happy. Jacob had worked seven years to marry Rachel and yet he got Leah. Jacob being so in love with Rachel worked yet another seven years for Rachel, the one he wanted.

This is a great representation of love, a man working double just to be with the woman he loved…but what about Leah? I am sure she did not like the idea of being given to a man who wouldn’t want her. Yet, she remained loyal in her marriage to Jacob and was a great wife. She gave him a son, Reuben, something Rachel had yet to do, with the hope that Jacob could finally love her; no such luck. She gave birth to yet another son, Simeon, saying “The Lord has seen that I am not loved so he has given me this son.” Leah had a third son, Levi, and thought that jacob must love me now because I have given him three sons while Rachel has given him none. The last son Leah birthed she called Judah and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.”

Leah surrendered the idea that she could be satisfied and fulfilled with the love of a man and grasped onto the hope that God is more than sufficent for her to feel love. With the birth of Judah she realized the blessings God had given her with her sons, gave her love and took away the pain of her being second best.

Later, God blesses Leah further still with the birth of His Son Jesus being in the line of Judah. When you are loyal in what God gives you and surrender to Him, His love and purpose, He will bless you beyond measure and will continue to bless you and your future.

Within His Grace,

Christina

It is finished

So, on thursday (June 19th) I graduated from the internship program of Celebration Leadership College. An even bigger acheivement was I did it without crying…a lot. Now you might be saying, “I was happy to graduate from college and did not even think about crying.” Well, this shows the difference between secular college and the spiritual experience I’ve been through the past two years.

I have grown into a new person! Prime example: I never saw myself as full-time ministry material. Now, I can’t see myself doing anything else! I am broken and can’t do anything else, but serve God, His house and His people. I know that I am supposed to do this full-time, so much so that I am willing to leave Jacksonville. I have lived here 20 out of 22 years of my life and would never want to leave, but I am willing and ready for God to place me wherever He wants.

It is so awesome; I am jobless, I have no idea what I am going to do and I am totally content. Thank God! I have no worries, no fears, no ambition and no curiosity. All I have is hope and assurance in the Lord that He will be there for me always and that His plan for me is better than anything I could invision for myself.

Please pray for me to continue with this attitude of contentment…God’s got the rest.

Within His Grace,

Christina

Don’t Quit

So, my class watched another message off DVD, this time by Tommy Barnett. This is recorded at an event for Pastors of churches and his message was called, “Wanting to Quit.” He gave several reasons as to why you have the ability to quit. One of them stuck out to me; he said, “wanting to quit meeans you have something successful to quit.”

We always see the portrayal of someone quitting for a righteous purpose like harassment or being taken advantage of professionally where we never see the side of people just stressed out, going 100 miles an hour and having a major deadline in 20 minutes. Some see quitting as a release and getting what you want, where others see quitting as giving up the fight.

Let me tell you something, anything that you have…a job, an opportunity, a person… in your life is worth fighting for. Yes, some fights are not supposed to be won, but you should still try your hardest to fight with all you got.

I am having a flashback of the movie “Braveheart”…I love that movie! But think about the scene that William Wallace first fought against England. There was a farmer that saw the numbers and shouted out loud that he wasn’t dying for the rich men over the command of the army. William Wallace, then, rode in on his horse and said that freedom was a fight worth dying for.

So, how are you going to look at a fight? Are you going to be the negative farmer that no one remembers or do you want to be another William Wallace that can make an eternal impact?

Let’s press!

A couple of weeks ago my classmates and I watched a wonderful message from international speaker John Bevere. He spoke about being propelled into power.

In one portion of the message he read Philippians 3:12-14, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
It says “I press to take hold,” “I press toward the goal”…how many of you know that you will most likely not receive something with having to fight for it? If you have to press toward something means that there is an opposition against you getting that thing, there is a resistance to meeting the goal.

After hearing that scripture expressed in that way, I asked myself ‘what is my resistance? Is it something I can’t control or is it me?’ For a long time the thing that was pressing against me being free from negative influences was my past, not overcoming the pain of it. But God has release me from that (thanks Jesus) and has given my a prize better than anyother which is my inheritance as a daughter of the Most High God!!!

So, ask yourself what is holding you back? What is on the otherside of that press you feel? What can I do to break through it?

Within His Grace,

Christina

You are Loved!!!

So, for today I just really want to share the most awesome and uplifting song EVER!

This song is by the artist Josh Groban, most popular for the song “You raise me up”.

When I first heard the song I thought that the music was sort of cheesy, but the lyrics was a representation of what God feels for us and wants to do for us and HAS done for us through His Son’s life, death and resurrection.

You Are Loved

Don’t give up
It’s just the weight of the world
When your heart’s heavy
I…I will lift it for you

Don’t give up
Because you want to be heard
If silence keeps you
I…I will break it for you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everybody wants to be loved
Don’t give up
Because you are loved

Don’t give up
It’s just the hurt that you hide
When you’re lost inside
I…I will be there to find you

Don’t give up
Because you want to burn bright
If darkness blinds you
I…I will shine to guide you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everybody wants to be loved
Don’t give up
Because you are loved

You are loved
Don’t give up
It’s just the weight of the world
Don’t give up
Every one needs to be heard
You are loved

*In order to hear this awesome song just go under the ‘Tunes’ section and click play.

Down goes Goliath

This is something I wrote ahile ago and it resurfaced in my life so I thought that I’d share it with all of you …I was reading my devotional and it was basically about defeating your problems and I thought about the classic yet never boring story of David and Goliath. David was this dorky little preteen boy and Goliath was this towering giant…that’s what it feels like sometimes with our problems, we are itty bitty David and this issue is galatic Goliath!

The thing is, even though David was definately the underdog in the pre-battle, he emerged victorious by asking God to anoint him, to help him defeat his enemy. Then, he used basically a childs toy, a slingshot and rock, to knock down Goliath.

The first thing David did was go to God in prayer. And God placed power in his weapon, his tool.
Are you getting this?

David = You, Goliath = Your Problem, Rock + Slingshot = God’s tools for your life.

Prayer is Powerful…DON”T UNDERESTIMATE IT! And your tool probably won’t be a slingshot and rock, but your tool could be an AA meeting or a detox center or a small group. But, you can’t go into a class or meeting and come out without that problem, that Goliath just towering over you, casting a shadow over you without God anointing victory over you…And that comes by asking God in prayer.

Don’t let it happen to you!

A friend of mine told me once, “If you don’t love anyone there is no one to disappoint you.”

There have been times that I thought life would be so much easier if I was the only person in the world. Yet, how lonely would you get?
Yes, people can be an annoying pain or frustration or let you down, and though you’d have no drama you also wouldn’t have that person in your life. If someone starts to irritate you, don’t live in that moment because it will last longer than that…it will ruin your attitude, your mindset and your day (for some of you, your week). Remember the positive things about them, not the negative. Remember the potential they have not the step backwards they’ve taken.
I did all of that once and it messed up a potentially great day. Don’t feed off of the anger or the hurt for that destroys the things God has for you in that time. I wonder how many things I missed today because I let one thing push me off course.

My prayer is that no one lets anothers actions or behavior dictate your actions and behavior. It will eat you up all day long.

So let it go. Forgive at all cost and Love without boundaries…

Yeah, “If you don’t love anyone there is no one to disappoint you“, but the real disappointment is that there is no one for you to love and love you back.

The Perfect Shoe

This can really only apply to women…sorry boys…but, which shoe are you?

Stilhetto Heel: Strength and Courage

How many of you know that it takes a lot of courage and strong balance wo where a 5 inch stilhetto heal? It’s hard, touch and a pain. It is also sophisticated and makes you tall and you have to do it gracefully or else you just look weird.

Sneakers: Endurance

Most of the time I think of a sneaker, I think of when I ran the Gate River Run which is a 15K run…over 2 bridges. When you where sneakers it’s to do things for the longhaul.

Flip-flops: Free and easy

I know that some flip-flops are now being glammed up, but wearing flip-flops is almost like going barefoot. It’s very slip on your shoes and go.

For me, I am a combo of the flip-flop/stilhetto…I did not like doing that river run at all. But at some point in our lives we have to wear a different shoe for different reasons. Now, this is not really about shoes, but ourselves. Different occasions, different obsticals, different jobs, different people cause us to put on a different shoe. It’s sort of like the “wearing different hats” theory, but with shoes. So, embrace each shoe, even the one that’s not exactly your style.

Coming to the End

This thursday, June 12th, is my last day as an intern in Celebration Leadership College followed by my graduation on June 19th. As I come to the end of this two year journey I’ve had mixed feelings about it all. It’s not like high school when you were completely overflowing with utter joy. It’s different when you are doing something you want to do and especially doing it for someone you love. I started the internship not knowing what God had for me and I end it not knowing exactly what direction He’s pointing me to next, but I know that Jesus has got my back.

When you come to the end of something you often think about the beginning. I’m looking back on all of the lessons I’ve learned, all the skills I’ve obtained and all of the wonderful memories I’ve made with some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t take them back for ANYTHING!

This will probably be the hardest transition I’ve ever had to face, but I do it knowing full well that there is something incredible out there for me and I will continue the ministry God has put in me.

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJ)

Within His Grace,
Christina

How are you going to choose?

This past weekend Pastor Stovall Weems of Celebration Church (www.celebration.org) gave a message about how to choose well for your life. He spoke of how Jesus denied the temptations of the devil with three principles. Here’s the story…
Jesus was in the desert for 40 days praying and doing this without anything to eat or drink. The devil came to him and said that he could turn rocks into bread because He was the Son of God. Jesus fought back with scripture.
1) What does the scripture say?
Then the devil said that if you are the Son of God, jump off this cliff and God’s angels will catch you and used a reference from the old testament to support this jump. But Jesus also said, do not tempt the Lord your God and defended Himself. This would have been a miracle that would not have benefited anyone but Jesus so He could not do it.
2) Does it fulfill the law of Love?
Finally, the devil said I will give you everything if you just bow down and worship me. Jesus knew His purpose on the earth, to die for the sins of man and Jesusknew that worshipping the devil would definately not work alongside His purpose and declared the devil to flee from Him.
3) Does it fulfill my God-given purpose?

So, how will you choose? Will you be selfish or self-less?