Me, Me, Me, Me... oh and Me

One of the things that has struck me deeply during my Theology course is the incredible self-centered mindset of the post-modern age we are living in. This post-modern theology has seeped into our churches widely among the young adults and youth, but even in some of the older members. It has become all about finding a church body that fulfills "my" needs. That serves "me". That "I" feel at home in. That sings music "I" like. That agrees with "my" views. No longer has it become important to serve the body of Christ. No longer is it all about "Him". People leave churches and even Bible schools all because one time, someone says something the disagree with. Instead of learning about it and growing in their faith, they leave. The desire to serve God by loving the church body and serving them has left. It is all about "me".
Friendships are broken because people don't show up to baby/bridal/whatever showers because they have to work or have prior commitments. People fight because the worship leader played too many hymns or too many modern worship songs. Or even they have a different style of leading than the team is used to. All hell breaks loose if the pastor shows any intolerance for any type of people group, even if what the pastor says is based on Biblical truth. Churches fight and divide over small disagreements that are blown up into a big deal. Different denominations think everything about the other one is "wrong" because it doesn't agree with what they think. The body of Christ is smashed into a billion pieces who are constantly fighting against each-other. How then does this look to those outside of our faith? How then does the world see Christianity? As a bunch of hypocrites who can't even get along with their friend in the church and are so easily offended when someone can't make an event that they leave? Or they hated the way the music sounded so they wont have anything to do with that church anymore? How is that what we want to show people? How is that okay?!
The body of Christ is ALL believers. It is all churches. Across the whole world. When we fight, when we hurt, when we ignore, when we gossip and lie about the people in our churches, the people in other churches, or any believer, we are breaking apart the reflection of Christ we are supposed to be. We are bit by bit tearing apart Christ's bride. All because of "me". Because "I" didn't like that. Because "I" wasn't pleased. Because "my" party wasn't full of people. Because the worship leader played music "I" didn't like in a style "I" find annoying. Because this Sunday "I" don't agree with the pastor.
When has being a Christian been about "me"? When has Christ dying ever been just about "me"? Yes, Christ loves me. Yes, He died to save me, but He also died to save the pastor I disagree with. The family who one Sunday didn't say hi to me. The worship leader who can never please everyone by his/her music choices. Christ died for them! That we as a body of believers might bring glory to Him... by fighting?! Because of "me"? No. By placing Him in the place of "me".
During this Christmas season, I am again blown away by God's incredible trust of humans. That He allowed a human girl to carry Himself in human form. That humans raised Him. That He believed a human capable of raising God as a child. And then I look around now and I see no reason for God to choose to trust us, or love us because of our selfishness. How sad is this? That we are so selfish that we don't even see the grace of God through all of the "me"? I encourage and challenge you readers to take time to look beyond the "me" in your life, and to see others around you that perhaps need you to be with them during this season in their lives. Maybe it will mean sacrifice on your part as you lay down the "me" for "Him". But in doing this, maybe, just maybe, we can slowly piece back together the body of believers and actually work together to reflect Christ to a world so broken.

Blessings,
Breanna

Intro To My New Blog Series

Hey all!

It has been absolutely too long since I have been posting on here and I have seriously missed it. There has been so much happening in my life in the past two years. Currently I am finishing my last course for my Diploma in Youth Ministry (WOHOO!), working as a swim instructor/lifeguard, oh and I GOT MARRIED! Surprise! haha Yes, I have a lot of blogging to catch up on! And that is one of my reasons for my new series of blog posts. I have had a few friends ask me to blog and document my story and journey through dating, engagement, and the first few months of marriage and just continue on with that. My goal with this is, that I would be able to help as many men and women, young and old, as I can to ensure you all have an idea about the struggles, challenges, joys and fun that dating properly can bring. That living out a God honoring engagement brings. And with God's help, being a God honoring spouse in a strong marriage can bring.

Right now, I am preparing to be a speaker for a jr/sr high youth girls retreat where I am supposed to share with the girls what is so important about dating well. So my first post in this series will be The Deal With Dating Well. I will give a bit more background to Caleb and my romance as well and share a bit about the challenges and joys we found through dating. I pray these posts will be a blessing to all of you who are reading them and that you will be encouraged to stand true to God's Word and live out His love in your relationships.

Blessings,

Breanna

For the Love of Gifts! Use Yours!

Throughout my first semester of Bible school I have been studying spiritual gifts a lot. And today I realized something I never had before. 1st Corinthians 13 is about spiritual gifts. Like WHAT?! I thought it was just saying that if you don't have love in your life then you really have nothing... but nope it is a lot more than that! First lets look at some of what spiritual gifts are and why you have them.

So basically God gives believers spiritual gifts in order for us to go out and to love others. They are given so we can better fulfill the great commission to go out and make disciples in all nations. Everyone who believes is given a spiritual gift and some are given many gifts but few know what their gift is and even less use their gift to its fullest potential. This to me is not exactly a great thing. We are given these gifts not to keep to our selves but to bless others with. And THAT is where 1st Corinthians 13 comes in. I encourage you to pull out your Bible or go onto Biblegateway.com and read over 1st Corinthians 13. As you read it, look at what it is really talking about. Take for example verse 1. If I speak in the TONGUES of man or of angels. Oh! Tongues! That's one of the spiritual gifts! Wait... what does verse 2 say? Prophesy and faith... hmm those are also spiritual gifts! Verse 3? The gift of giving. Yep! Keep reading! 

Finished it now? Well to summarize, it basically lists some of the spiritual gifts... and then goes on to say that if you do not have love with them, then they are not helpful... in fact they become useless or annoy and hinder others from knowing God! Kind of crazy? Well what exactly does this love have to include? Well for us to use our spiritual gifts with love, we must use the love that is described later in the passage. 

(4-8a) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

While we as believers are given spiritual gifts, we are to use them in love for others. They are not to be horded away and used selfishly, they are not to be used to boost our ego and become prideful, and they are not to be used to belittle others. As part of the Body of Christ our gifts are to be used along side each other to draw others to Him. For us to be an active body of Christ, we must be using all of our gifts, and that means knowing what they are and how best to use them.

I really encourage you as a follower of Jesus to use the gifts you have and to nurture them so that you will be able to use them to the best of your ability. And when you use them, remember to do it in love. Because with love, nothing will fail.

God Bless,
Breanna

Update On Me :)

Hey all! Sorry I haven't posted in like... forever!! :( Life has been pretty busy! So here's an update to catch you up on everything that's been going on in a very... general way. ;P

I AM DONE HIGHSCHOOL! Yep! I graduated! As of June 25th 2013 I was finished all highschool exams and classes. :) Only very exciting! Exams and homework kept me super busy for many many months. I am so thankful I am done with them... at least for highschool.

I am moving! Yep! You heard me right! :P My family is staying where they are, but I am moving for school... which brings me to the next thing!

I am going to Bible college! :) Yeaah... in case you hadn't figured it out by now I kind of am crazy about God... so am greatly looking forward to digging deeper into His word and learning more about Him. :)

What am I going to take...? Well so far my plan is to for sure do a one year program which will get me a certificate in Bible. However, my hope is that if after the one year I will be able to continue on and get a double Bachelor of Arts, majoring in theology and possibly youth ministry! :)  I am so very excited about this opportunity I have been given and ask that you would pray for wisdom and direction for me as I continue to seek after God. Pray also for my family as we are not used to being apart and it will be a huge transition to have me not at home.

Thanks so much for being patient with me as dealt with all the craziness in my life. :) Hopefully I will be able to post more often!!

May God bless you greatly!

Breanna

PS if you have any prayer requests, be sure to comment below!

Why Should I?!

Ever been so hurt by someone you can't breath? It really sucks. Like... a lot. And sometimes it hurts a long time after. That feeling you get when you think about it... and remember what you did too... and how you ended up hurting yourself and the other person... its hard to forget. Even harder to forgive. But in reality, the only way to heal is to forgive. Them. And then yourself. Why? I'll explain it to you so you understand why I think it is super important. Ok? 

I personally believe that hanging onto the bitterness and hurt in the end only hurts you. Holding a grudge places a wall on your heart and makes it hard for you to feel God's love and hear His leading. By holding onto an unforgiving mindset, you are also blocking God's forgiveness for your own sin against Him. While they may have sinned against you, how many times have you sinned against Him?

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15

This verse also can apply to forgiveness of yourself. You are also one off those "men" (or women) who can sin against yourself, others, and God. And sometimes it can be so hard to forget. The truth of it is... you may never forget how you screwed up. Those major mistakes? You may remember them for the rest of your life. The thing is it is your choice on if you want to dwell on them and allow them to turn into bitterness and unforgiveness towards yourself or if you want to ask God to take those hurts and heal them. So while you may remember those mistakes... that does not mean you are stuck in unforgiveness for them. Honestly though. Who are you to say "I screwed up too badly. I cant forgive myself. I don't deserve ________(insert the thing you are wanting to succeed at whether its a relationship or a job or whatever). I've messed up too much to be good enough for _____. I wont ever be able to forgive myself or if I do it will only be if "such and such a thing" happens." Why are you saying that?! Don't you see that God does forgive you but you need to forgive yourself in order to receive the true healing that comes from being fully forgiven and free in Christ? As the verse says, if you wont forgive yourself God will not forgive you. This isnt something little!! This is major! You may work through the grudge and bitterness you hold towards someone else but you may not forgive yourself... that's still holding back God's forgiveness and its not something to take lightly or to not think about. I know I've said this before in a post but I truly believe this is sooo important. Do not let your pride and your high standards get ahead of God's opinion and standards for your life.  Whats more important, God's forgiveness or your forgiveness? What are you willing to do to fully embrace God's forgiveness? Think about it! Are you willing to put aside your pride and let God heal you fully? Are you willing to mend broken relationships that you let fall apart when you didn't fully embrace God's forgiveness? Are you willing to risk messing up again and having to go back to God and ask again and again for His forgiveness and His grace in your life? Are you willing to submit yourself to Him? The Bible promises in 1st John 1:9 that, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse/purify us from all unrighteousness."  When you think of something pure do you think of mold? Do you think of garbage? Do you think of broken things? Probably not! When Jesus says that He will purify us that means completely pure. So those mistakes you made... they're gone! Why? Because you forgave the other person, you forgave yourself, and you let God forgive and heal you. That is why I believe forgiveness is so very very important. And it is never ever to late to be forgiven. I encourage you as you think about what I wrote down and Jesus' words to search your heart and see if there is any bitterness, anger, or unforgiveness dwelling within you. How is that holding you back? My challenge to you now is to let it go. Forgive. Forgive the person who hurt you. Forgive yourself for messing up. And let God's healing, love and peace fill your heart and life. Don't let that hurt keep you from reaching for Him or for the people and opportunities He places in your life. Do not miss out on the love that you can have. 

Blessings,

Breanna

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

Lets play a quick game of "Have You Ever". Basically, in my version... if you have done one of these things then I want you to draw a red X on a piece of paper. Ready? Lets try it!

Have you ever... known you were wrong but not apologized?
Have you ever... done something nice just to get noticed for it?
Have you ever... compared yourself to other people to make yourself feel better?
Have you ever... decided that you can't learn anything from one of your leaders/teachers?
Have you ever... spent an entire conversation talking only about you without asking about the other person?
Have you ever... decided you were too good or to much "above" someone to learn from them?
Have you ever... been defensive when you receive criticism?
Have you ever... wanted someone to serve you constantly or expected to be served?
Have you ever... thought you were better than someone?
Have you ever... thought someone who messed up deserved whatever happened to them?
Have you ever... thought everyone else can mess up but you cant?
Have you ever... tried to justify why you are sinning?
Have you ever... took full credit for something that was a team effort?
Have you ever... stopped depending on God and started depending on yourself?
Have you ever... said "God can forgive me, but I can't forgive myself"?
Have you ever... used someone else's sin to justify your own?
Have you ever... put someone down for their sin?
Have you ever... been easily offended?
Have you ever... demanded to be the center of attention?
Have you ever... done something that should be to honor God just so others would see you're good at it?
Have you ever... been unwilling to serve or do something for someone else?
Have you ever... thought that you don't need God to accomplish something?
Have you ever... thought of yourself first?
Have you ever... had to top someone just because you couldn't let someone be better than you?
Have you ever... stolen someone's spot light because you didn't want to admit they were good at something you arent?

Ok...Do you have your red X's now? But what do they mean? What do all those questions have to do with saving yourself from a wreck? Well they all have a basic reason behind them that you may or may not have picked up on. Pride. Yep, all the reasons you have an X written down, that's pride. Big, bold, and red. Surprise! You have pride issues! And here's something you may have expected... so do I! And it is not good.

Basically pride is thinking of yourself as greater than everything. Yep, even God. See why I say its not good? Here are some Biblical reasons why.

In Obadiah God is displeased with the pride He sees in the city of Edom and so He responds with "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, "Who will bring me down to the ground?" Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set amount the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord." (Obadiah 1:3-4) From these verses I want you to see and start to understand just how much God dislikes pride. Pride is deceiving it creates a false sense of security and confidence while covering up all the sin, hurt, and brokenness of the person. Instead of finding full forgiveness in God, people say they can't be forgiven or can't forgive themselves. This causes a lot of emotional problems and a feeling of separation between you and God. Instead of allowing others to lead or be the center of attention at appropriate times, people take over everything and have to be in the spot light. This leads to strained relationships and takes God's right to the best of your abilities and places the glory back on you. Comparing yourself to others either leads to a false sense of being better than someone, or a false sense of being worth nothing. Both are only looking at your opinion of yourself and saying that God's isn't most important. Being unwilling to learn from others whether older, younger, or the same age as you leads to ignorance and arrogance. God values knowledge about Him. There are many many more, but you can see how pride affects so many aspects of life and  how easily some of them go unchecked or un-noticed.

In Psalm David talks many times about pride and how it pulls people away from God.
Psalm 10:4 "In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, 'There is no God'."
Psalm 31:18 "Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt."
Psalm 31:23 "Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride."
David was considered a man after God's own heart. And he detested prideful people and showed again and again in his teachings and writings that God will punish the prideful.

Solomon is considered to be the wisest man to live. God poured His wisdom out onto Solomon. In Solomon's Proverbs, he shows why pride is not something God values and also what God seeks to find in His people.
Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate." (Ummm kay God doesnt just dislike pride, he calls it evil and hates it.)
11:2 "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom."
16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
29:23 "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor."

Back to Psalm for a sec to contrast some of the pride with what God desires.
Psalm 149:4 "For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation."
God values humbleness and humility.
Matthew 23:12 says, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
When we live in pride we are setting ourselves away from God and who He is. Since God detests pride, He is not prideful. So what is He? He is humble. God could be a huge show off and make us all believe in Him, but instead He chose to be humble and to come to save us by becoming one of us. How much more humble could He be than becoming one of His own creation? "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:8. To be walking with God in a proper relationship and to be honestly and fully seeking to become more like Him, we need to address our pride. We need to be willing to become humble enough to follow Him to the cross.

We must remember that God is love. And pride has no part in love. It cannot fit into a relationship with humans or with God. If we truly desire to live for and to love Him, we cannot have pride. If we want to reflect Him in our relationships and friendships, we cannot be prideful.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." (1 Corinthians 13:4) God is love. God cannot be proud. We are called to model Him in our lives. We really need to work on our pride.

I pray that this will make you think, and help you to grow closer to Him.

God bless,
Breanna

Oh No! A Big Decision! What Do I Do?!?!

Hey! So I'm back! :) I know I was away for some time, school has been slightly chaotic lately. Anyways I have some big choices to make in my life soon. I have to figure out where I want to go in the future and such. Its a scary prospect, thinking that my choices now affect so much of my life for the future. The decisions I make now will change and mold how I want my future to look. So how am I to know what to choose? How do I make a well informed choice that will glorify God? How can I make the wisest choice possible with the knowledge I am given? Well... I'm going to talk a bit about how I've been learning is the right way (smart way) to make a well informed wise decision about something big in life. Whether its to do with work, school, relationships, or anything that affects large parts of your life, there needs to be a lot of thought put into it before you do something. Rushed decisions don't tend to end very well. So here are some of the ways I have learned to help me make the "right" decision.

Probably the most important thing to keep in mind is that glorifying God is the main goal in this! It is not "what will be the easiest way to make the most money" or "What is the fastest way to be done school" or "How can my girlfriend/boyfriend make me feel and look good and if they cant why should I keep them around" or "If I dump this person then it will make life so much easier for me". The main goal of any choice you make is what is the best way I can glorify God in this? What is the best way I can live Him out in my choice? If it means that you end up working somewhere you dont get paid a lot but you influence many lives for God then would it be worth it? If it means taking the 10 years and becoming a Dr would you do it? If it means thinking of your boyfriend/girlfriend first would you be willing to? Remember, in all choices glorifying God is your main objective. 1st Corinthians 10:31 " So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

A huge thing is before you react to something or make your choice, figure out what was influencing you to think that way? Where are your influences coming from and are they from? Are the things influencing you trust worthy? Are they God honoring things? Most people dont stop to think about why they are thinking something, they just react. So I highly encourage you to stop and think for a minute about what influences your thinking about relationships? What influences your thinking about school? What influences your thinking about work? Are the things influencing you good things?

This is actually huge when it comes to who your friends are. If you look at your closes friends and the people you spend the most time talking to and hanging out with, would you be okay being like them? Those who are closest to you are the people who influence your thinking the most. Be aware of that when you have major life choices to make. Do you want to end up like the people you surround yourself with? Will ending up like that glorify God?

After you think of this, then spend some time digging into God's word, praying, and spending quiet time listening. Seek His heart through His words. After you spent time praying and seeking God, you should have some idea of what to choose. With this in mind... now we come to one of the huge steps that I believe is super important. Proverbs 12:15 says, "The way of a fool seems right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice." At this point I highly highly encourage you to seek counsel from others. But be careful with who you ask. From my experiences in my short life... I have learned that people my age tend to be just as lost as me. People younger than me tend not to be in the same boat quite yet. So while asking their opinions may be good, be careful of their advice. It may not be based on the wisdom that comes only from experience. Instead, seek advice from people older than you. This may sound crazy but ask your parents for their advice! Sit down with your pastor and ask them what they think of it. If you have an older mentor, ask them. Seek advice from multiple people who have the life experience, who lead Godly lives, and who know you well enough to give you honest opinions. Proverbs 11:14 states, "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." If what they say goes with what you were thinking, then you are quite possibly headed in the right direction, but if they do not agree with what you were thinking, then take their words seriously and wait and pray more. Have them pray with you about it and come back after a while and talk about it again. Don't just brush aside the advice that you are given, but weigh it carefully. Remember that your main objective is to glorify God.

God says in Psalm 32:8, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." He will instruct you and teach you. He will counsel you on what to do. But you must first seek Him. Hopefully what I have said will help you be able to do that with clarity and purpose.

May God bless you!

In His Hands,
Breanna