I'm Forgiven!

While doing my school work today, I've been listening to K-Love. The song "Forgiven" came on, which is by Sanctus Real. It's one I haven't heard in a really long time and it brought up some past memories of mine in which I do regret but through the lyrics, I was reminded of what Christ has not only done for me, but for you and anyone else born into this world.

Here are the Lyrics..

"Well the past is playing with my head

And failure knocks me down again

I’m reminded of the wrong

That I have said and done

And that devil just wont let me forget

In this life

I know what I’ve been

But here in your arms

I know what I am

[chorus]

I’m forgiven

I’m forgiven

And I don’t have to carry

The weight of who I’ve been

Cause I’m forgiven

My mistakes are running through my mind

And I’ll relive my days, in the middle of the night

When I struggle with my pain, wrestle with my pride

Sometimes I feel alone, and I cry

In this life

I know what I’ve been

But here in your arms

I know what I am

[back to chorus]

When I don't fit in and I don’t feel like I belong anywhere

When I don’t measure up to much in this life

Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ ‘cause

[back to chorus]"

I'm quite sure that all of us have done things, said things, thought things, that we wish we hadn't. It's very easy to get caught up in the regretful things we have done and forget the meaningful, God-glorifying things we have yet to do.

If your past ever seems to bug you or even go so deep to ache your heart, I encourage you to remember that you ARE forgiven. Let God's Word speak for itself:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted.” Isaiah 43:25-26

When you come to Christ and repent, He no long remembers your sins but they are completely blotted out! There is hope in the name of Jesus Christ!

My Challenge to you: Whether you struggle with things in your past or not, praise Jesus for His amazing love, mercy and forgiveness! There is nothing that can hold you back, no sin that you cannot conquer, no challenge that you cannot overcome, no past regret that you can't make peace with - in the Name of Jesus. Beneath His wings, there is a promise for all of our futures! :) What an encouraging promise that is!

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus …”

Romans 8:1

Six Goals for 2011

I compiled a list of some great goals for the upcoming 2011! These are goals which I mainly set for myself to work on, perhaps you can share in some of them, or even make some of your own! :)

I will go outside of my comfort zone. 
Often times, we get stuck in our comfortable spot instead of reaching out to others. I can definitely say I struggle with this at times but in 2011, I resolve to go outside of my comfort zone more often no matter what environment I'm in - home, work, or church! 

 

I will depend more on God. 

You can never go wrong with more dependency on God! In 2011, I resolve to depend less on myself and instead, depend fully on God! 

 

I will be more selfless. 

The name of my blog, obviously, is "Beautifully Selfless". It revolves around the idea of being completely selfless for Christ by dying to self! In 2011, I resolve to be more selfless and rather than thinking of myself, I will think more upon Christ and others' needs.  

 

I will complain less, even mentally. 

I don't complain too much generally speaking, but I know mentally and my inward attitude at times can be one that could be considered complaining! In 2011, I resolve to work on this so that even my inward attitude may be one that is positive and pleasing to God!

 

 I will praise God, no matter what the day brings. 

It can be very easy to forget to praise God in the hard times, uncertain times, or fearful times. In 2011, I resolve to praise God no matter what happens on any given day--because He is a good God and is worthy of my praise! 

 

I will pray more. 

The Bible teaches to pray without ceasing. In 2011, I resolve to work at this truth and to spend more time in prayer with God, whether in be in my own quiet time or even if I'm at work.    

      

 I hope you enjoyed these goals! They are only a few but I encourage you to think about some of the things you personally struggle with and resolve to work on them for your own spiritual growth and well being! :)

For other goals that you may need to work on, Lies Young Women Believe blog is listing a total of 21 New Year Resolutions for 2011. Check them out here!

 (Those are only 5 of them, by clicking on "Blog" at the top, you can return to the homepage and click the other blog archive links which will lead to more goals they have posted).

Also, I have made it one of my goals this year to read through the entire Bible! I'm excited to begin this challenge! I have tried it once before which wasn't 100% successful but I did read through most of the Bible. I highly encourage you to take this up as one of your goals! It will be an incredible journey if you and you won't believe how much you'll learn about God through His word!

Food for Thought

"A man is what he thinks about all day long." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

So, what do you think about all day long? It's an interesting thought, isn't it? 

Would you say your thoughts are more concerned with things of this world? Appearance. Material items. Friends. What's going on tomorrow. Plans for Friday. The next new movie, CD or magazine.

Or are your thoughts centered around Christ? Loving others. Being patient. Sharing the Gospel. Reading your Bible. Meditating on God's truth. Serving others. 

Pretty noticeable difference, huh?

Now, it definitely is true that you cannot always be thinking about spiritual things, simply because that's not an option, we still have to fulfill our earthly responsibilities. But it is more important to have a healthy balance, just like with anything. Let's see what God's word has to say about this!

Romans 12:2
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Colossians 3:2

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

My challenge to you: Consider the things you think about. What are they mainly centered around? What does this show about your heart in terms with your relationship with God? What could YOU be doing to help your thought life and make it more pleasing to your Heavenly Father?

For Those of You Tempted to Read the "Last Chapter"...

Have you ever read a REALLY good book? One that either has you completely intrigued or engrossed in its pages? ...Ever been tempted to flip the pages to the end and read what happens?

Me too! :) It's hard not to isn't it?

Sometimes I wish I could see what is coming in my life--to "flip the pages" to the end to see what happens. Sometimes I wish God would answer my questions about my life and what is going to happen... just so I could know and then not have to be concerned or anxious. 

Nevertheless, God doesn't tell us directly or fully what is going to happen in the future of our lives. In fact, it's rather like a book, where there may be foreshadowing or hints of what is to come. Our lives are the same, we may receive some guidance from God as to what direction to head that could "hint" as to where we are going to end up. Even then, they can be very subtle and sometimes you really can't make anything of them... just like with reading a book. You have to wait. 

And why do you wait when it comes to reading a book? Because if you didn't, it would ruin the story. You wouldn't be able to appreciate all the chapters that lead up to it--the struggle to reach the success, the happy ending, the coming together of the plot, etc.

And it's the same with God. If God were going to tell us what the outcome of a certain situation was, it would not only ruin the surprise of the ending (which we know with God, it HAS to and WILL be amazing!), but it would also lead you to not appreciate what good ending you received from God. You wouldn't appreciate it because you didn't have to go through the previous stages (chapters) of trusting in God and having faith in Him that He will bring you through that circumstance/uncertainty/etc.

My challenge for you is: Be patient! If perhaps, right now, you have some questions for God or you wish you could know what was going to happen in a particular area of your life, my advice is to simply be patient and to trust in God. Trust me, I know that's easy to say in those simple seven words and a lot harder to do in reality, but it's the best thing you can do (along with prayer)! Just keep progressing through each "chapter" while waiting for God to do His good and perfect will, and I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised! :)

Psalm 27: 13-14

"I remain confident of this:
   I will see the goodness of the LORD
   in the land of the living. 

 Wait for the LORD;
   be strong and take heart
   and wait for the LORD."