Let the challenge begin!

Ok, so you know my last post when I was talking about that I'm going to work on the qualities I want in a guy? That I was going to take each one week by week & work on it for myself? Yeah that. Well I've decided that this week will be...*trumpet plays for dramatic affect* Humility! I'm going to start my challenge tomorrow! :)

I've decided that to make my challenge more "challenging" Monday through Friday I'm going to take something out of my life so I can really appreciate it this week. Hence, Humility. One day I'm going to go barefoot the whole day (I couldn't go barefoot for the TOMS shoe day this past Thursday anyway), another day I'm going to go without makeup for the entire day, another day I'm going to wake up way earlier than needed to watch the sunrise, go without facebook for a day, & for the last day I'm going to serve my mom around the house with whatever she needs without complaining.

I'm excited to really focusing on being humble this next week & what God is going to do with me. :) Also every week, as each quality is being added, I'm going to wake up & have my devotion before my day starts. I've been doing good thankfully lately with having time with God before I get on facebook. I just hope I can keep it up! I really do already see a change in me, & that excites me beyond belief! I'll keep you updated!

Will you serve Him beloved?

So this won't be to long because I have to get ready for my math test at one soon. But in my devotion this morning, it had the verse Matthew6:24 & it was talking about how you can't serve two things whole heartily. Like you can't be a vegetarian & a great hunter. It just doesn't work that way. The same is true with God & the world. The Bible says, "No one can serve two masters, either he will hate the one or love the other or he will be devoted to the one & despise the other. You cannot serve both God & money." Now growing up, whenever I read that verse, I was like, "Well I honestly don't care that much for money, so I'm good! Next!" But thats not what this verse is saying. Money is a symbol of a worldly desire. Its the worldly desires that can control us & steal away our attention from God.

I know I need to reevaluate my priorities in order to fully serve God. As a start, I'm not going to get on facebook until I have time with the Lord each day. The book mention if people saw what you did in your free time, would they see God in that? Now I know facebook isn't the most awful thing in the world but I do get on it alot before I spend time with God. & that needs to change.

I encourage you to reevaluate your priorities & see what God wants you to change in your life in order for Him to become the desire of your heart. He gave up His beloved son for us, so don't we need to give up our life for Him?

Rambling.

Wow. There really aren't that many guys out there who are on fire for the Lord. I got the chance to talk to my mentor a little tonight & I talked to her about things I've been facing lately & she mentioned that they weren't alot of passionate godly guys out there. Its so sad, I know alot of wonderful women who want to serve the Lord with everything in them, but I know so very few guys who put the Lord first. I know, at the most, a handful? Now I'm not bashing on guys, I love my brothers in Christ. But I do find it strange that its easier to find strong Christian girls than guys.

I started reading "Answering the Guy Questions" by Leslie Ludy last night. Ok, if you don't know about this woman, you should! She & her husband have this amazing love story of how God brought them together, its told in their book, "When God Writes Your Love Story". But anyway, the book I'm reading by her now is all about guys right now in the modern world. She explains in her first chapter how there are two types of men: Metro Males & Animalistic Manhood. Metro Males is explained as men being more feminie than strong. This verison is wrong in Leslie's eyes (& mine) because when guys are like this, they lose one of the most important qualities God has given them. To protect! It is the man's job to be the head of the relationship, thats the way God intended it to be at least. Animalistic manhood is the exact opposite, the men take their job to highly as the one in charge by making the woman their servant. Putting on the front that they're full of honor & nobility just to get you into bed.

Well, which one would you choose? Neither right? But the beautiful thing about our Lord is that when He is the one & only passion in a guy's heart, another type of guy emerges. :) This one is called: Warrior poet Manhood. A warrior poet is a man who has chosen to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Christ. He seeks not to draw attention to himself, but to draw eyes to Jesus.

Leslie goes on in the book to explain a little bit of what drew her to her husband Eric. (This is my favorite part so far in the book!) She said that after having conversations with Eric, she wouldn't be thinking about him, she would think about God. Leslie went home & pour opened her Bible, wanting to have the same passion Eric had for the Lord! Eric didn't ignore his sisters in Christ, but he also didn't lead them on either. He respected his future wife already. He wasn't pursuing the opposite sex, he was pursuing God. He sought out loners & outcasts, people others usually overlook.

What a wonderful man to have as a husband! I've also figured out while reading this book that I also have a job. And you my sisters in Christ do as well to your brothers. We need to set our standards high. Start encouraging them more than bringing them down. I read in a book somewhere, I think the author was Joshua Harris, that a man told him after he got married to a good friend of Joshua's that this man thank him for being so honorable to his wife. Joshua treated this girl as if already she was married even when she was single! He didn't lead her on, but he encouraged her daily in her walk with God. Joshua was mindful of his future wife, but also of his good lady friends & their future husbands. And I think we as girls should be the same. Not only do I strongly believe that we need to live as if God is right by our side watching our every move (because He is!), but also we need to live as if our future husband was right by our side as well.

I need to get to bed. But I couldn't until I rambled on a little bit. :)

Maybe I'm Not as Ready as I Thought

I've been thinking about this for the longest time. My 18th birthday is less than three months away. That means I'll be allowed to date...the question is, will I be ready? It didn't occur to me until the middle of October that maybe I won't be ready to date by then. What really scares me, what if my judgement is clouded?

I've always been safe over my parent's rule. Both of them, especially my dad (haha), have always made sure I be careful by how close I get to a guy. I've always told guys upfront too, that I'm not allowed to date until I'm eighteen, & if they really like me, they'll wait. Both times that has happened...it hasn't ended well. Which has been hard on me, but I know that it wasn't God's will for me to be with them. When I finally toke a step back, I saw that they were both not mature in God as they let on. Which was stupid on both of our parts. So you can learn about what to look for in a guy, even if you're not in a "relationship".

The thing is, how can I be trusted to hold up the spiritual side of a relationship? I'm tired of doing that! Of being more spiritual than the guy I'm attracted to. It's so frustating to me to know one can become so close to God by a few easy steps, but they chose not to for whatever reason, mainly laziness. (Not just in guys, but girls too)

How could a guy be out there for me? Is there honestly guys out there my age that are on fire for the Lord? Because I seriously don't know any.

I don't want to just be in a relationship. I want a guy that is committed to me & spurs me on towards Christ's love all the more when I'm with him.