Arms Wide Open

We often get in the mindset that we can do everything on our own. Our hopes and dreams, and our entire future is built on how hard we work. We live life day to day, using our own strength, seeing how much we can pack into 24 hours. A day turns into a week, a week turns into a month, and those months keep passing by one at a time and before we know it we are drained, we have reached the end of our rope, we don’t see what we are accomplishing or really what the purpose is in anything.

The biggest lie we can tell ourselves is that we can do everything on our own. We were not created to do everything on our own. Jesus Christ did not die on the cross for us to do everything on our own. Life is not easy, it never will be just a walk in the park, but we have an almighty God on our side that is there to help us and strengthen us.

In Miles Welch’s podcast on Marriage Material he makes a very true statement (http://downloads.12stone.com/podcast/watersedge/2010/MariageMaterial/Part4.mp3) . We should marry someone who find’s God’s strength in weakness. Miles describes times in our life as A-zones, B-zones, or C-zones.

When something comes along in your life that is new and exciting such as a new job, a new relationship, a new friendship, this is when you are in an A-zone. You are on the top, everything is right, everything is happy.

Then crap happens.

We are beaten down by the world. Whether it be a death, a broken friendship, or even just a hard class in school. We need something and we come to the point where the situation is beyond us, we realize that we cannot do it on our own strength. This is a B-zone. In these times we decide whether we are going to ask God for His strength or go to the Q-zone and just plain quit. This is what Miles calls an “Arms Wide Open” moment. We have to open up our arms and simply say " God, I can't do it on my own." The truth is that everything, at some point, ends up in the B-zone. Miles says that “Life has a way of bringing you to the limits of your strength.” We would not need strength if our whole life was an A-zone. When we ask God for his strength and we press through this is where we get to the C-zone or the victory, we overcome our struggle only by God's strength.

Asking for God's strength in our weakness is what Jesus meant when he said “Follow Me”. God invites us to gain our strength from Him. We are blessed when we come to the end of our strength. Acts 1:8 says “ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jersusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We are who we are because of the Holy Spirit, it is ALL through the Holy Spirit. God gives each of us an identity, we were created in HIS image, we are HIS children, and he loves us with the most pure and powerful love, a love that conquered death. We are forgiven and strengthened by God. When we are walking in the identity that God has for us and when we are drawing our strength from HIM this is when the fruits of the Spirit are produced, when we are being held up by a strength that is not our own, that is not logical and can not be explained.

So what is our identity? This is something I've struggled with for awhile. It is so easy to ask God how he sees other people, what He wants me to tell them, my ears are wide open then but when it's time to ask God how he sees me I all of a sudden am frightened. Why Is this? Maybe I'm simply afraid of what he'll say or maybe I don't feel deserving enough of His identity for me. But when I come to those moments where God tells me how he sees me, it's mind-blowing powerful. I was talking to a friend earlier and she said that there is a difference between having faith and God calling us faithful. When God speaks something over us He is claiming that over our lives and that is truly, 100% how He sees us. When we receive that and live in that identity it is so, so powerful.

So How does God see us:

First of all- Men you are warriors, you are respected, you are a Son of the Most High God and he loves you and wants to spend time with you. He wants to go on adventures with you, He wants to speak truth into you. He is the best example of a Father and male role model that you can ever have. He does not see you as weak but as a strong soldier that He has equipped for battle. He wants you to make decisions and to respect women. He wants to cry with you, to pull you out of the mire and muck and clean you off. You are never, ever too far gone.

Women you are a Daughter of the King of the Universe, you are clothed with STRENGTH AND DIGNITY, you are His Princess, He loves you and protects you. God hurts when you hurt and laughs when you laugh. He is trustworthy and will NEVER let you down, hurt you, manipulate you, or use you. He is the one who wants to define you, not for you to be defined by our world, by other men, or by the lies that the enemy has placed on you. He has adorned you with a crown of beauty. He wants to dance with you and fall in love with you and romance you. You are His daughter and He loves you.

The most powerful thing you can do is ask God what your identity is, how he sees you, and who has created you to be.

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1 Peter 3:3-4)”

Live in your identity, Draw your strength from God, you can hide from everyone in the world but you cannot hide from God. He sees all your junk and wants to take it from you and heal you from it.

Walk in who God has called you to be.

Abigail

The Wisdom of the Lord

God has been doing some amazing things already this school year. He is completely renewing me and changing my view of college. I want to savor this fun time I have before I have to grow up and be a real adult. This is the time to stay up late watching stupid youtube videos with your roommates, to make late night sonic runs, to dream about your future and realize you have so much in front of you. Life is short but it is so worth living.

I was praying for a friend today and God took me to an amazing verse.

James 3:17

" But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

First of All, Wisdom really doesn't matter at all unless it's from the Lord. You can get as many college degrees as you want but what is this really going to matter in eternity? I've had to be reminding myself of this fact this whole semester, if I try hard and don't get a good grade it really is all going to be ok. Getting a D on an Anatomy Test really won't matter much in heaven.

- PURE: I love this word and the heavy meaning that it brings with it. God calls us to be pure, in heart,mind, and body, but the only way we can achieve this is through Him.

-PEACE-LOVING: Peace is such a good and comfortable feeling. When God gives us the peace that surpasses all understanding we really can't explain it, it really is just the best feeling. Wouldn't it be amazing if everyone could all have this feeling? How different would our world be?

-CONSIDERATE: We tend to be so selfish and get so wrapped up in ourselves and our own problems. We forget that as believers and followers of Christ we have the truth, the truth that can set people free from their chains. What if God wants to use you to bring light into even the darkest places. We must be aware that we are not the only ones on this earth, even if sometimes we think we are, we must be considerate of those around us and what they are going through.

- SUBMISSIVE: This word peeved me for so long. I thought that being submissive meant being a doormat but it doesn't at all. Submission literally means "a letting down". Letting down all of the walls that we build up around us and laying at the Lord's feet saying "Not mine, but YOUR will be done." We can plan all we want but in the end God's plans are always the better ones.

- FULL OF MERCY: Mercy literally means " compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power" God constantly gives us mercy even though we don't deserve it. So it makes sense that wisdom from heaven would be full of mercy, full of his compassion and kindness. The only way we can give true mercy is through God.

- (and) GOOD FRUIT: We are, as believers, supposed to be producing good fruit through God to further His Kingdom. Sometimes we have to submit to God a certain area of our lives that Satan is using to produce bad fruit so that God can rip out that bad seed and plant a good seed to produce good fruit.

- IMPARTIAL: God is not biased. He loves everyone with such an immense love that we can't even fathom it. He yearns for everyone to be in the Kingdom, he created EVERYONE in His image. We tend to, in our human ways, be impartial to certain people but this is not what God wants us to do. ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and no one is better than another person.

- SINCERE: How far is being fake going to get you? Nowhere. We must be bold and sincere about our faith or else no one will believe us or care what we say. Realize that people watch what you are doing and as a believer we are called to be set apart. We are called to be witnesses and to be free of deceit. Live what you believe.

These are just a few tidbits that God has shown me. I'm FAR, the FARTHEST, from perfect and God is constantly working through me but it's occurred to me that if people starting truly living out their faiths and realize that:

a) God cannot be put in a box- and

b) He isn't just a Sunday morning service

our world would change and people who aren't believers might actually start thinking about who this Jesus guy is that we live our lives for and why we seem to be so different from other people.

Go Love with God's Love !!!!

Abigail

Olive Trees

Psalm 52:8

" But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God. I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever."

Wow- it's almost the end of Summer and I can hardly believe it. What a whirlwind it has been. I can't believe how much I've grown and all that God has done and taught me.

At the beginning of the Summer I was so lost and had no clue why God had me where he did- taking Summer classes for 8 weeks in Gwinnett, this is surely not what I had planned. But as I have learned our lives never go as we plan, but that's a good thing because God's plans are always better :)

-Being in Summer classes has been such a blessing and I have met some incredible people and had a great time bursting out of my comfort zone. I was so fighting everything in the beginning and was extremely bitter about taking Chemistry again-but in the end I got a better grade and met some awesome people along the way.

- Next thing I didn't expect to happen this Summer was to be baptized. I was at Grace Midtown a couple of weeks ago with some of my best friends and the chance popped up to be baptized. My friend Amanda and I looked at each other during the ending worship and asked each other if we were planning on getting baptized. I said I would if she would and wha'dya know we did it! It was so amazing and refreshing. I felt new and clean and peaceful and what was even greater is that I had 5 of my best friends there to witness it and support me. While I was getting baptized one of the guys who was dunking me was praying for me and spoke over me that God was going to use me to give prophetic words to people or as I like to call it - affirmations or words of encouragement. This was such a confirmation of what God has been birthing in me this past year- it was such a good way to begin and affirm a new season in my life.

- I suppose that God has always spoken to me in unique ways. I just didn't realize that it was God at first :) God speaks to me alot through intense dreams, visions, pictures and sweet little phrases. I love when God puts something on my heart to tell someone and it just completely confirms what God has been trying to teach them or tell them- and it completely is not me at all it is ALL God. The closer I grow to God the clearer I am able to hear him and the tighter the bond between us comes. I absolutely adore Him and I am His Joy (hence the name Abigail).

- This is what I want for everyone. This is My heart cry to God. God yearns to be close to His children. He loves to spend sweet time with them and tell them what he feels about them. He wants wipe your tears away when you're crying, dance with you when you're filled with joy, and hold you while your sleeping. I beg you to not put God in a box. He isn't a religion, he isn't a Sunday morning hi and by kind of God-he is a personal relationship. As my friend Kate heard this guy Michael say " If you are only looking to the cross for salvation then you are missing out on half of what the cross was for- for God to have a romance with you." God wants to do amazing things through you and talk to you- so let Him!

So the lesson from the Summer- be open to God's plans- He always wants to Wow you and Woo you closer to Him.

Go Love and Love Abundantly,

Abigail

A Beautiful Prayer

This is an Awesome Prayer that one of my best friends- Kasey Henderson- sent me.

The most beautiful prayer ever...

Make me Hephzibah which means ”my delight is in her."

Make me “Beulah”.

May I be poised for action like Esther

May I be loyal and sacrificially faithful like Ruth

May I have Deborah’s wisdom, Mary’s innocence, Eve’s unbroken relationship with You.
Make me joyfully passionate like the woman at the well; unaffected and clear-sighted like the ‘alabaster woman’; a student and devoted follower like Mary (Martha’s sister).

Make me bold and adventurous like Rahab; cunning and shrewd like Tamar–able to stand for justice.

May I be used in spite of my sin like Bathsheeba and in spite of my weakness like the woman with the issue of blood.

Lord, may I be beautiful and desired like the bride in Solomon’s songs. Fearless of change like Rebekah. The mother of nations like Sarah.

May I be worth the fight like Rachel–Jacob’s 14-year prize.

Lord, every woman wants to know that she is worth fighting for–that her beauty moves people to action. That she is useful and has purpose and a place alongside her husband. Like Eowyn in Return to the King–a warrior when necessary, but a beauty worth coming home to.

I know that all of this is inside of me somewhere. All these women are tied together by the Holy Spirit–linked by Your story and filling and design. I know You can bring out this godliness in me.

Father, Make me a fierce opponent for the Devil, a mighty tool in Your hands.

Make me humble and surrendered and broken to Your using–but solid and fearsome–a defender of the weak, releasing prisoners from darkness. I long to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with You! Mold my heart towards these, Your desires for me. I surrender to You.

Amen.

This Prayer is so Beautifully written and really reminds me of who I desire to be as a Daughter and Princess of the Lord.

I also just finished reading Francine Rivers' "Lineage of Grace" series. It is 5 novellas combined into one book. Each part is an account of 5 women of the Bible: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. It was really eye-opening and helped me to realize that these aren't just silly stories in the Bible. God mentioned these women in his Holy Word for a reason, to learn from their example.

So thanks Kasey for this amazing prayer. I pray that this prayer would be rooted in my heart and that I would continue to learn from these women's stories.

In Him,

Abigail

1 Peter 3:3-4

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

P.S. Kasey has an amazing blog and I highly suggest it.

(http://beautyintheabundance.tumblr.com/post/722246430/golden-friends)

Normalcy?

I have been wrestling with a really hard concept over the past semester and now I finally feel like God is saying "yes I see that and I'm going to do something BIG". What I've been wrestling with- the fact that I don't what to live a normal life, I want to live a life completely and fully devoted to the Lord. I want to make His Kingdom known. I want people to know the Savior of the World, the one who saved my life, and for those people have a personal relationship with him and know his peace, love, and that healing is truly found in His hands.

The World wants us to live the American dream. The perfect house with a white picket fence, money is never an issue, and everybody is happy all the time. Well that just simply is not ever going to happen. Nobody's life is perfect and Crap happens. People deal with difficult stuff that most of the time they hide. I want to show people that God can heal that stuff. In Him you can live in complete freedom.

So I have no clue what this looks like for me. But God will work that out. All I know is that practical is not always right. I know this is really hard for our generation to hear. From the time we were young its been drilled into our heads that we will work hard in school go to college and have a good job so we can make good money and be happy. Anyone who doesn't go to college is seen as unsuccessful. But if I've learned anything in my first year of college it's that everyone's life is not going to look the same. Some people will do YWAM, some people will get married young, and others will become a doctor. God has a different plan for everyone. That's what's so awesome about Him, our God is not a boring God.

All I know is that I'm willing for God to use me. I'm sure there will be times where I am out of my comfort zone but that's ok because it is in those times that we grow and learn.

So.. Here's to a life lived for the King of Kings. Because there is no other life worth living.

Keep on Loving God and Loving Others.

Abigail

Psalm 56:3

"When I am afraid, I will trust in you."

Sunflowers

Nothings Sweeter than Summertime!

God has already taught me so much this Summer and I feel like I'm being refreshed and renewed. I have many plans and goals for this season and am excited about the future. One of Gods creation that I find the most beauty in is flowers. They are so intricate and delicate and I can just imagine God crafting each flower so that it will remind us of Him in a specific way.

Roses remind me of how we are royalty in God's kingdom. I can just imagine standing before God and getting a crown on my head and being given a rose while hearing "Well done my good and faithful servant."

Calla Lillies remind me of purity and how we as believers should strive to live pure lives before God.

Daisies exemplify the joy that I feel as a daughter of the King being in love with the savior of the world. I can just imagine being in a garden with Jesus and him tucking a daisy behind my ear and us having a long talk.

I just love flowers but the one that I really find unique, especially during the Summer time, is sunflowers.

Sunflowers are gorgeous and powerful. When seeing a field of them their beauty just blows me away. The most profound thing about these flowers to me is how they grow, which is towards the Sun. If this doesn't represent what God wants for us I don't know what else does. As we continue to look to the Lord we grow in our faith. He gives us warmth, sunlight, and nutrition. Before we die we should be at the tallest we can grow. Look to the Son and He will continually give you strength.

Keep on Loving God and Loving Others,

Abigail

"The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD blesses His people with peace."

Psalm 29:11

Journeys

If there's anything I've found out to be true in my life its that things never work out the way I plan them.

-If you had asked me my junior year of high school whether I'd be attending GCSU I'd of thought you were crazy.

-I had so many expectations going into my freshman year of college (including making loads of friends, knowing everybody, being involved in tons of different things, dating someone, etc.) most of which did not happen.

- I also mapped out my whole college career path of making at least a 3.7 before applying for the Fall of 2011 Nursing cohort.

Well as I should have expected, God has changed pretty much all of that.

This school year, although I learned alot, had its share of challenges. I had a pretty hard time finding a group of friends, and seeing my friends from highschool its pretty hard to find people as special as them. I also had extreme spiritual warfare in the Fall, alot of which I'm still struggling with right now. School, especially chemistry, has been extremely difficult and no amount of studying or persevering seems to be getting me the grades I need or want.

So where am I now?

I'm taking classes all Summer to get my grades up. I am also trying to figure out a job to be making money to pay for part of school. And I'm on the track to go into the Spring 2012 nursing cohort.

Not what I had planned but the Lords plans are always better than mine and although I am extremely frustrated, namely with myself, I know that something good will come out of this.

The Lord doesn't promise us that the path will be easy but it will push us to grow more with Him and the reward is spending eternity with the lover of our Souls, and I think that's pretty darn amazing.

Psalm 62:11-12

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:

that you, O God, are strong,and that you, O Lord, are loving.

Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done."

Love,

His Princess

His Joy

~Abigail

Outlook

Wow it has been a crazy last few weeks but God has been teaching me SO much and I really have gotten a new outlook on life.

For quite a while I've been so fearful. It's something I always have struggled with. Fear that I'm not going to be enough. Fear that I'll turn into this horrible person. Fear that I'll fall away. Fear that I won't stand out in my faith. Fear that I won't have a future. Fear that I'll die before I have a chance to really live. But I've come to the conclusion that simply, I have no control over certain things. Satan is trying to put fear in me that simply isn't real. I saw an acronym that Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. This is so true! The spirit of fear is not of God. There should be no fear in death because death means being able to spend eternity with the lover of our souls.

Last week my grandfather died. I wasn't that close to him, in fact I hadn't seen him in about 10 years. My grandparents divorced over 25 years ago and I am alot closer to my step grandfather so to be honest it wasn't that difficult of a loss. The saddest thing to me though was that the last 4 years of my grandfather's life was spent in a nursing home alone. I haven't heard the most positive things about him throughout my life so it was almost like their was this stigma attached to his name. When my family members came into town for the service it was almost like this image that I've had of him started to change. I started to hear stories of how he taught my dad and aunt and uncles how to swim and how to drive. I started to hear of how when he walked into a room it lit up. I heard stories from his childhood and how he always gave his sisters a hard time. My uncle had converted 16mm film from his life into a dvd. I was able to see footage from his days in the navy, from my grandparents wedding 50 years ago, and even of his early days as a father. I guess overall it made me wish I'd have known him better and I started to see how much he had impacted my family members. It made me appreciate my father so much more and let me have a new perspective on how much God has blessed me. I pray to this day that I will be able to see my Grandpa Buzz again in heaven and that I can tell my kids the things I've learned about him. Our lineage is something that, whether positive or negative, God has given us to learn from. My grandfather might of made some mistakes in his life but he was a great father to my father and that is truly a blessing.

Bottom line is that death gives you a new perspective on life. If you let Satan torment you with the fear of death it's just keeping you from living. All we can do is live life to the glory of Christ. The ride will be amazing and the end result is a happily ever after with Christ in Heaven.

Keep on Pursuing Him in all that you say and do.

Always in His Hands,

Abbie

Rest in Peace

Maurice Carroll Walters, Jr. ("Buzz")

December 21, 1934- February 10,2010

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, a day I look forward to every year. Although some people might think the holiday is just a cliche day for couples to show there love and single individuals to be miserable , I think it's great. For me, It's a time to reflect on the past year, and how much I've grown. It's a day for me to see God's love. But the most special part of Every Valentine's Day, is the time I take at the end of the day, to write a letter to my future husband. I have done this since 9th grade. I express my heart to him and then seal it up in an envelope. I think it is a great opportunity to express my heart to the man that I will one day spend the rest of my life with. and I cannot wait to bundle them all up and give them to him on our wedding day. So yes, some people might be bitter about Valentine's Day, but even though I am single right now I know God is preparing me daily for the wife and mother that I will one day be.

1 John 4:19 " We love because he first loved us."

In HIS love,

Abigail

a passion for purity

Right now life is such a whirlwind that I can hardly catch my breath. The weeks are flying by and I am constantly having to do school work to keep up with my 16 hours. I am always planning and re-planning and drinking tons of coffee and I rarely get a time to just...sit. Despite my business God is teaching me alot and I really feel like He is manifesting himself in new ways that are awesome.

A quick list of the things that God is teaching me:

1) Purity is what I should constantly be striving for- purity isn't just a physical thing- it's emotional and spiritual. I'll explain more about this on another post but it's been a big focus for me.

2) I need to stop planning because things never go the way I plan. I know God has awesome plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11) but I just need to let HIM act them out, not ME.

3) Patience- plain and simple.

Whether God speaks through people, dreams, situations, or His still small voice He is speaking, and moving and working.

Can't wait to tell more but for now I need to sleep :)

Love- Abigail

Pearls

Matthew 13:45-46

"the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

- God has been revealing himself in so many ways these last couple of weeks since I've been back at school- and mostly in the terms of pearls. May seem odd but let me explain myself.

- I have been reading a great book called "and the Bride Wore Whit

e" by Dannah Gresh. It is a beyond wonderfully written book about sexual and emotional purity. In this book Gresh uses pearls to symbolize the things in our lives. We often take on so many different "fake pearls",whether they be vanity, pride, jealousy, bitterness ( all of which I struggle with), and each "fake pearl" costs something of ourselves. We have all of these fake pearls that have no value, when we can trade them all in for something better, the pearl of great price, which is Jesus Christ.

- It has been CRAZY how God has been tying this into everything in my life right now. I have been blessed with having AWESOME dreams (one of the ways in which God speaks to me the most)- ask me about God dreams sometimes because it is one of my favorite topics and I truly believe that God can speak to ANYONE through dreams. Anyway, I had a dream the other night that was really odd but when I woke up and prayed about it I knew that God only wanted me to focus on one thing about the dream, one girls name, Megan. Low and be

hold I go to look up what Megan means and guess what? It means pearl- snaps for God-He is SO cool! Also various visions God has given me where I am somehow always wearing pearls. Basically I think that in life we can either live for all of this crap that in the end is meaningless, or we can live all out, no limits, for the One True Eternal God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

- I just LOVE how much I am seeing the fruit of the trials that I went through last semester. God is SO faithful and I am just soaking in all of the truths I'm hearing. The Spirit is moving and teaching and I just want everyone to get hit with the Spirit like I have!

- Another key word right now that the LORD is teaching me- trust. I have so many plans for my life and I've just got to realize that I AM NOT IN CONTROL! One thing that my awesome Discipleship Group leader Katie said tonight when she was speaking at House Church was that God only gives us glimpses of the plan that He has for us because if He showed us the whole thing then we wouldn't have a reason to Trust Him! SMACK IN THE FACE- that was So

a revelation for me!

All in All I am So excited for what God has planned for me. There are big things coming and I am so pumped about them, whatever they may be. I just want to strive to live a life of purity (heart,mind,and body) and of living EVERYDAY, ALLOUT for the King of Kings my one true love, Jesus Christ.

God will show Himself- all you have to do is ask.

Love, Abigail

~Zephaniah 3:17~

P.S.- Food for Thought: God sings over you (see Zephaniah 3:17), but He also loves it when YOU sing to HIM! (another revelation from House Church

tonight!)

READ IT!!!! >>>>>>

The Wolf

- Well as this semester begins I am again out of my natural environment and thrust back into the real world. As day by day passes by the yearning in my heart to see Jesus grows. Not to make it sound like I want to die but I just know I am not meant for this world. Our life is but a mist in the span of eternity. It kills me when I see people just living for this world because they think it's all they have. They don't realize that their is a Father that yearns to love them with an everlasting love, a love that will change your life. The main thing that has been hitting me over and over again just within the last 4 days is how drastically this world has changed in regards to sexual purity. I purposely haven't watched hardly any television this past semester because of this. The last couple of days though I have watched an episode of desperate housewives and secret life of the american teenager. Gone are days of wholesome tv shows, not that I didn't know that promiscuity was going to be in the shows. I can honestly say that now, as I used to be desensitized, television and movies bug me. They portray a world that is so screwed up but socially excepted. Secret Life of the American Teenager, along with every other show, has continued to grow worse. Now every character, whether gay, straight, christian or non-believer, is having sex, and lots of it. Not only is this on the tv screen but it has also jumped off the screen into my college environment. Any worldly pleasure that is out there is being indulged in on this campus and it makes me nauseous. I feel like sexual purity is rarely found anymore, and its definitely not treasured by most people. What most of all just irritates me to my core is when there are people that I know are believers yet they flaunt around there sin like its no big deal. Not that I don't screw up sometimes but we are called to be lights in this world, not part of the darkness.

" fear and flee the wolf; for, worst of all, the wolf may be more than he seems."

This quote was part of a short story that I read for my English Comp. 2 class. It stuck out to me because, to me, a wolf symbolizes the enemy. As this quote says, and as Satan is, the wolf may be more than he seems. Think about the character of Satan he is a liar, The Father of lies, and a deceiver. The sin that he tempts you with seems like just an experience that you must have in life when once you indulge in it it can become you. Not only does sin pull you way from God but it tears your life apart piece by piece.

So in conclusion- we, as believers, are called to be of this world, not in it. The temptation isn't bad, its giving into the temptation. But God can redeem anyone. I heard this in a sermon recently- that the people, or situations, that seem the most unreachable could be the people that God has such amazing plans for than we could ever imagine. No one is unreachable but the enemy will tell you that they are.

Continuing to Live for the King of Kings!

Zephaniah 3:17

Love, Abigail

After Passion 2010 :)

I just got back from Passion 2010 and I am still just letting everything that happened over these last four days soak in. It was amazing and the Holy Spirit was moving so greatly! I am definitely a changed person and I feel like God finally renewed my heart,mind, and mission. This is my assessment of everything having to do with Passion.

- Louie Giglio- WOW! This man has such a passion (ironic) for the Lord and is also an unbelievable speaker, God was speaking straight through him to my heart. Louie, unlike many people, has decided to live his life pursuing God's dreams. Many people get a word, dream, or vision from the Lord but fail to go through with it or pursue it ( I can honestly say i've done this many times!) But Man i mean look at the amazing fruit that Passion Ministries has produced. Louie's talk during the first session about letting God awaken us and taking off our grave clothes helped me realize that I myself was calling to be awakened by God. This definitely helped me to open my heart and mind to what God was trying to tell me- healing is in His hands and His hands alone.

- Beth Moore- .... that means I'm speechless. This woman again is a great example of how God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things that can only be done through Him. Beth spoke on how God equips us. The statement that she made that resonated with me the most was- " Do not try to run in somebody else's lane. It's your own lane, run your own race, the only we should strive to imitate is Christ!" Often times I look at other people's lives and wish I was like them, even to the point of trying to be them, but God has a specific purpose and plan for each person. Every plan is unique but every plan is glorious but we have to let HIM run the show! I also attended Beth's (yes we are on a first name basis ;) )breakout session on spiritual discernment. I can say it was very eye opening and helped me to analyze how I can tell if I am just being judgmental or if the Holy Spirit is trying to tell me something (there is a very fine line between the two!)! All in all God worked through her and it was incredible. I only hope that I can be as spunky and on fire for the Lord as she is because It was truly amazing to see just how much she loved God and was devoted to Him.

- Francis Chan- A) He's asian so I like him B) He always has such a light from the Lord that pours from him C) His message was fantastic!

We sometimes take the word of God for granite and forget just how truly amazing it is! Francis reminded me of just this and how we need to crave the word of God. He also pointed out how we have to stop making excuses for our sin and to realize that "if we aren't waking with God it's because we chose not to." Overall he had some amazing insights and I would love to hear him speak again, Lord willing.

- Andy Stanley- I had another chance to hear what God laid on Andy Stanley's heart and God really revealed many things to me through Him. Andy's main statement was "it's always a mistake to determine what you want to do or how your relationships are going to be before you determine who you are going to be." He also challenged us to pray and list out what kind of attributes we want to have in order to be who God wants us to be. Simply put, it was great.

-John Piper- ummm .............................................. Yeah i'm still digesting it and it's been about a day. The Holy Spirit hit me hard and I was forced to think about things that I had honestly never thought about before. God was definitely working through Piper and he is not afraid to work through the tough questions often asked about the Christian Faith. I'm still processing Piper's message but it was truly breathtaking and I definitely believe that the Holy Spirit was sweeping through Philip's Arena heavily last night!

-Louie Giglio (again) - The part of this last message that hit me the hardest was actually after the message when Louie said "We all have wounds, but God can heal them. We will always have the scars, but even Jesus still has His scars." The scars left from the wounds in our lives are left to show God's glory and what an amazing work He did in your life!

Other Highlights of these last four days included: Gobena coffee (mmm mmm mmm) and the Do It Now exhibit- all of these exhibits were mind boggling but it again showed how a little vision that somebody gets from God can turn into a HUGE DREAM! Also- seeing Hillsong United live has always been a dream of mine and it was probably the most intense worship I have ever experienced and it was unbelievable. But really all of the men and women who led worship were amazing and let God move through them greatly! The new songs that were sung also were incredible- my favorite line " and if our God is for us, then who can ever stop us ? And if our God is with us then who can stand against us?!"

If I could summarize what God taught me over Passion 2010 is that this world has NOTHING for me. God might choose to put certain relationships and blessings in my life if He so chooses but ulitimately the main goal in my life is to serve HIM no matter what the cost or call! God is the God of this universe so why would we settle for a mediocre and selfish life instead of the HUGE, BIG, AMAZING, GLORIOUS plans that He has for us?! I truly strive to have a life that is a blazing offering to my Lord and Savior and cannot wait to see how He uses me on my campus this semester. I'm definitely praying for boldness and courage to step out and shine for Him. I life without God is not a life worth living!

-I also finally realized if I ever get a tattoo (when I'm older and being provided for by my parents) what I want it to be- Isaiah 26:8 " Yes LORD, walking in the way of your truth, we wait eagerly for you, for your name and renown are the desires of our souls."

May the God of love and peace be with you always.

~Abbie~

Zephaniah 3:17

PASSION 2010!!!

It's currently 3:13 am on Saturday January 2nd, 2010. I just finished the 2nd Book (Return) in the Karen Kingsbury Redemption series and am well into the 3rd book. I just packed my suitcase and am listening to the Passion 2010 podcast making my to-do lists. Can't wait for what God is going to do in the next 3 days! I'll update when I get back!

abigail