As I lay in my cozy college bed on this rainy Friday evening, I can't help myself but to ponder this past semester's happenings. I cannot even begin to comprehend that at 10 a.m. on Monday morning I will have officially completed my first semester of my freshman year of college. The saying "time flies when you're having fun," is actually a real thing y'all! I'm very blessed and thankful for the many relationships and memories I have made these past couple of months. I have been challenged, stretched, and refined in so many areas of my life... but I'm tired.
I am going to take a moment to level-down and share my heart. I'm worn out- not just physically speaking, but emotionally and spiritually as well. After experiencing extreme lack of sleep and no motivation to get out of bed, I have truly been able to sit in the silence and examine my heart (which I recommend to everyone... it's in those moments where I hear the Lord speak the clearest). I've been able to just sit... to be still before the Lord.
[Unfortunately, that has been something that I don't make enough time for in the hustle and bustle of THE "college life."]
After spending some special time with my Abba, I am feeling not only refreshed, but also encouraged. As broken and tired as I (or others) may have felt this past year, He is still victorious, and I can still find my joy in Him. I wanted to take the time and offer up a prayer to not just my friends or college schoolmates during this stressful time of finals, but also for any one that may come across this blog post... I want to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to the true Refresher of all souls. When we come to Him with a heart of thanksgiving and praise, He responds. Our praise is something that God loves, something that warms His heart. Anytime we give God pleasure like that, our intimacy with Him increases- and that makes for a better relationship with Him.
So pray with me-
Father God,
We love you. We praise You and we thank You. You are so good and so faithful to us in every season. You are there in the desert with us and you are there in the harvest. You are steadfast in every time. We cry out to you Lord... Your hand of help and guidance is something we need. You alone sustain us and our well- being. Lord, would you invade us. Rid us of the things that keep us from feeling so far away from you. Oh God, we yearn to be drawn closer to you and your Spirit. Would you go down to the depths of our heart and refresh the driest of places. God I pray you give us a hunger and thirst for your Word. That we delight in spending time with You. God I pray that you would instill such a passion in us. I pray that this passion for You and Your Word would birth much revelation, wisdom, and encouragement. It would create an atmospheric change... That the weary would be refreshed, the broken healed, the spirit exhilarated, and the heart reminded of the original joy of our salvation. Take us deeper Lord. Liberate us of the voice in our head and speak from the silence of our hearts. Lord I pray boldly for a turn- around in the month of December. I pray beauty for ashes. Lord, take away hurt and replace it with hope. Give us a greater faith to forgive those that hurt us, to seek you for rest, and to fully rely on You alone. We love you Lord, and thank you for the transformation You are performing in our hearts and lives. You are faithful in all things, and we praise you for that. Each new day is a new testament of Your faithfulness. We are believing this as a community all in your precious, holy name.
Amen.
I hope you find encouragement with me in the fact that God never leaves us and never forsakes us. He is with us always. It says in Romans 8: 26-27 that, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God." What a sweet and powerful thing to know that the God of the Universe is behind us in prayer, for all that we do. He knows our hearts, our hurts, and our desires. He is before and behind us in all that we do. Join me in living a refreshed life in Him alone.
"Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the Heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast."
Psalms 139: 7-10
Friday, December 6, 2013
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
The Pure Bride
I know, long time, no post! The Lord has truly been stirring things in my heart that are hard to take in all in one day. Finally, as I am spending my quiet time with Him, I get the inkling of a blog post... Which brings me here! So hi!
Normally, when one hears the word "pure," their minds ponder on something without flaw, white, clean, or no wrinkles whatsoever! I certainly know that I, Savanna Brown, sin on a daily basis, along with every single other human being on this earth. How is God going to come back for a pure bride if we all fall short of the glory of God and we can't be completely without flaw or wrinkle until we are raptured? What makes us pure or righteous enough to even get us to heaven to remain in true righteousness?
One thing to consider in this is that Christ's dying on the cross for our sins make the bride (his church) pure. We are clean in the name of Jesus. Forgiveness and purity have a name, and that name is our Lord and Savior, our Yahweh. When we put our faith in Christ and his atonement, we are pure. God sees us as he sees Christ when we are wrapped up in Him. Simply, all we have to do to stay pure is to stay in Christ and not stray. He is our righteousness, forever and ever.
I know, a lot of y'all got a sigh of relief at that last sentence, but purity can go way beyond. Yes, we are pure when we are covered by the blood of the Lamb, but are we pure in OUR minds, OUR eyes, and OUR everyday lives? Do we succumb to the dirty music, the filthy websites, the vile words, etc.? We are called to live pure lives, and set examples. We are called to be lights that shine into the darkness of the secular world. We are called to cleanse our bodies, in order to provide Christ a temple in us. I challenge everyone, including myself, to fast for a month (April 25, 2012- May 25, 2012) from any secular music, books, television programs, and whatever else may cause our hearts and minds to stumble. Let's define purity in our lives. I can't wait!
I hope you find encouragement in Psalm 119:9-16.
Normally, when one hears the word "pure," their minds ponder on something without flaw, white, clean, or no wrinkles whatsoever! I certainly know that I, Savanna Brown, sin on a daily basis, along with every single other human being on this earth. How is God going to come back for a pure bride if we all fall short of the glory of God and we can't be completely without flaw or wrinkle until we are raptured? What makes us pure or righteous enough to even get us to heaven to remain in true righteousness?
One thing to consider in this is that Christ's dying on the cross for our sins make the bride (his church) pure. We are clean in the name of Jesus. Forgiveness and purity have a name, and that name is our Lord and Savior, our Yahweh. When we put our faith in Christ and his atonement, we are pure. God sees us as he sees Christ when we are wrapped up in Him. Simply, all we have to do to stay pure is to stay in Christ and not stray. He is our righteousness, forever and ever.
I know, a lot of y'all got a sigh of relief at that last sentence, but purity can go way beyond. Yes, we are pure when we are covered by the blood of the Lamb, but are we pure in OUR minds, OUR eyes, and OUR everyday lives? Do we succumb to the dirty music, the filthy websites, the vile words, etc.? We are called to live pure lives, and set examples. We are called to be lights that shine into the darkness of the secular world. We are called to cleanse our bodies, in order to provide Christ a temple in us. I challenge everyone, including myself, to fast for a month (April 25, 2012- May 25, 2012) from any secular music, books, television programs, and whatever else may cause our hearts and minds to stumble. Let's define purity in our lives. I can't wait!
I hope you find encouragement in Psalm 119:9-16.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Relying on Him
"We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely on God, who raises the dead." 2 Corinthians 1:8-9
People may tell you (maybe I have even told you before!) that He will never give you more than you can handle. But don't listen anymore; it's not true. You will often find yourself in situations that require more faith, more perseverance, more love, and more wisdom than you have on your own. And when you find yourself in this situation you will realize how much you need Him. In fact, you'll be desperate for Him. The truth is, you were just as desperate for Him before you found yourself in this place; you just didn't realize it. Sometimes you need to be shaken so that you see your sin and become more God- reliant.
It is not a sign of weakness to depend on Him. It is a sign of spiritual strength to live, day by day, in recognition of your utter dependence on Him.
Therefore, I am sorry. I am sorry to any of my friends and family that I have specifically told you how "He will never give more than you can handle." I had it all wrong. He wants you to challenge yourself, challenge yourself to bring more things to HIM to handle. It's not our jobs, we have it all wrong friends. Just like James 1:2-4 says, He sees us to trials to draw out perseverance in all of us. I am finally able to fully grasp what that means. I've gone along the past couple months repeating how that verse is my favorite, without me even entirely fathoming the true meaning behind those couple verses. I challenge us all to bring more things to Him, to be fully dependent on Him in faith.
Father, while I and the culture around me, value independence, I realize now that you value dependence. Forgive me, Lord, for my stubborn self- reliance. I'm turning to you. I can't do it on my own anymore. I can't mend relationships, I can't ignore my sinful ways, I can't please everyone, I can't always have a loving a gracious attitude towards people, so God, I bring it to You. I trust in You to take this from me. Thank you for Your grace God. Thank you for Your faithfulness. You are so worthy God. Amen.
People may tell you (maybe I have even told you before!) that He will never give you more than you can handle. But don't listen anymore; it's not true. You will often find yourself in situations that require more faith, more perseverance, more love, and more wisdom than you have on your own. And when you find yourself in this situation you will realize how much you need Him. In fact, you'll be desperate for Him. The truth is, you were just as desperate for Him before you found yourself in this place; you just didn't realize it. Sometimes you need to be shaken so that you see your sin and become more God- reliant.
It is not a sign of weakness to depend on Him. It is a sign of spiritual strength to live, day by day, in recognition of your utter dependence on Him.
Therefore, I am sorry. I am sorry to any of my friends and family that I have specifically told you how "He will never give more than you can handle." I had it all wrong. He wants you to challenge yourself, challenge yourself to bring more things to HIM to handle. It's not our jobs, we have it all wrong friends. Just like James 1:2-4 says, He sees us to trials to draw out perseverance in all of us. I am finally able to fully grasp what that means. I've gone along the past couple months repeating how that verse is my favorite, without me even entirely fathoming the true meaning behind those couple verses. I challenge us all to bring more things to Him, to be fully dependent on Him in faith.
Father, while I and the culture around me, value independence, I realize now that you value dependence. Forgive me, Lord, for my stubborn self- reliance. I'm turning to you. I can't do it on my own anymore. I can't mend relationships, I can't ignore my sinful ways, I can't please everyone, I can't always have a loving a gracious attitude towards people, so God, I bring it to You. I trust in You to take this from me. Thank you for Your grace God. Thank you for Your faithfulness. You are so worthy God. Amen.
Friday, December 23, 2011
"I Will Not Forget You"
Jerusalem says, "The LORD has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us." "Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would never forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem's walls in ruins." Isaiah 49: 14-16
When hard times come, you may think you've been forgotten, that He is unaware of your heartache and uninvolved in your life. But He has bound Himself to you in a covenant love, and He could never forget you. He could never stop caring about your suffering or supplying your needs. He is watching over you and thinking of you always. When He sees your name written on His hand, your concerns become His concerns. He sees not only your name, but every other aspect of your life- every joy, every struggle, and every need. You are never off of His mind, out of His sight, or away from His loving care.
Lord, when I think you are distant and do not care, I need only to picture Your hands, see my name written there, and remember that I am always before You because of Your covenant love. Thank you for the hope that you constantly send coming for me. I pray for a stronger faith in You, I pray that You speak to me in the light of the dark. God, show me Your grace, and its sufficiency. Father, I pray You rain your love and mercy in my life, my family's life, my friend's lives, the world's lives. God help us grasp how much You care for us... How you care enough to engrave our names in Your hands that were pierced with nails. We think and thank you, during this season of Christmas, and also for the rest of our days. Thank you for Your unfailing love and forgiveness. Amen.
When hard times come, you may think you've been forgotten, that He is unaware of your heartache and uninvolved in your life. But He has bound Himself to you in a covenant love, and He could never forget you. He could never stop caring about your suffering or supplying your needs. He is watching over you and thinking of you always. When He sees your name written on His hand, your concerns become His concerns. He sees not only your name, but every other aspect of your life- every joy, every struggle, and every need. You are never off of His mind, out of His sight, or away from His loving care.
Lord, when I think you are distant and do not care, I need only to picture Your hands, see my name written there, and remember that I am always before You because of Your covenant love. Thank you for the hope that you constantly send coming for me. I pray for a stronger faith in You, I pray that You speak to me in the light of the dark. God, show me Your grace, and its sufficiency. Father, I pray You rain your love and mercy in my life, my family's life, my friend's lives, the world's lives. God help us grasp how much You care for us... How you care enough to engrave our names in Your hands that were pierced with nails. We think and thank you, during this season of Christmas, and also for the rest of our days. Thank you for Your unfailing love and forgiveness. Amen.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Decisions
Decisions determine your destiny. It's as simple as that. Where you are today is the result of all the decisions you made yesterday. Who originally made decisions regarding you, me, and everyone else out there? God. He made decisions about us, and the paths that He is going to take us on. We live in a sinful world. We alone sin multiple times a day, no matter how hard we try not to. As gross as this comparison may sound, I will put it this way: Sins are like boogies. There can be sticky sins (the ones where it is hard to get off your finger), flakey sins (ones that brush right off), and lastly, hideaway sins (sins that you get so used to doing that you don't even notice them anymore). God wants you to forget about all of those sins. As hard as it is for us humans to realize that when He says His grace is an ocean, He truly means it. Abraham made his decisions through and by his faith. I entice all of you, including myself, to participate in this challenge.
"You can say no, or you can go."
God will always take care of you. It is not God's will at all for us to get hurt. Sure, there will be bumps in the road, but you have to think of it this way: Once you get over those tiny "bumps," you can just add them to your testimony as one of the things that God has graciously helped you with. If you have gotten hurt in the past, let it go. The past will straight up rob you of what God has planned for you in the future. He wants you to be FREE. Let Him fill you up. But something you have to realize is that with filling something up comes with eventually that thing being emptied. Basically, we are filled to be emptied again. He will always pour out into our lives. When Jesus' blood is flowing through your body, it's the best genes you could have. Close the doors from your past decisions and open them to the future. Buckle up, because He's about to take you on a wild ride.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Ignorance is Bliss?
Sometimes, it's better not knowing something rather than actually understanding. Knowledge can be an gift, or it can be a penalty. You may gain from it, or you may shatter from hopelessness. In Scripture it says that knowledge will be "destroyed," and that it is "incomplete." But aren't we also told to "look/ask/seek for it?"
How can knowledge be useful?
1 Cor 13:8-12- "For if there are prophecies they will be fulfilled and done with, if there are 'tongues' the need for them will disappear, if there is knowledge it will be swallowed up in truth. For our knowledge is always incomplete and our prophecy is always incomplete, and when the complete comes, that is the end of the incomplete. When I was a little child I talked and felt like a little child. Now that I am a man I am finished with childish things. At present we are men looking at puzzling reflections in a mirror. The time will come when we shall see reality whole and face to face! At present all I know is a small fraction of the truth, but the time will come when I shall know it as fully as God has known me!"
What does knowledge allow love to do?
Prov 24:3-4 "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."
What is love without knowledge? Let's say there is a story of a girl named, say, Mrs. Hoard. She is an ignorant, but loving mother. She feeds her children an all meat diet, because she believes meat is the best kind of food. One day she gains some important knowledge after reading a nutrition guide, and she starts buying a mixture of food types for her children. As a result her children become healthier.
Question: Did this mother love her children more before or after she gained the knowledge? Hmmm... The same! But until the knowledge, her love was even . Knowledge that is true allows love to blossom into good fruit.Hos 4:6 "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge."
The TRUTH about knowledge: Jam 1:17 "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow." Regardless, knowledge comes from the BIG MAN ABOVE. Not from society. Not from a friend. Not from a parent. The good knowledge at least. Don't listen to anyone else but your heart. If your are in the right place, then your heart should be an intimate place where the Lover of your Soul speaks to you. Yes, sometimes it is best not knowing things. That is, knowing BAD things. This brings us to the point of how everything happens for a reason. You know things for a reason, and you don't know things for a reason. All in all, leave it up to Him. He will give you the right knowledge you ask for. Persevere for wisdom given from His Hands alone.
How can knowledge be useful?
1 Cor 13:8-12- "For if there are prophecies they will be fulfilled and done with, if there are 'tongues' the need for them will disappear, if there is knowledge it will be swallowed up in truth. For our knowledge is always incomplete and our prophecy is always incomplete, and when the complete comes, that is the end of the incomplete. When I was a little child I talked and felt like a little child. Now that I am a man I am finished with childish things. At present we are men looking at puzzling reflections in a mirror. The time will come when we shall see reality whole and face to face! At present all I know is a small fraction of the truth, but the time will come when I shall know it as fully as God has known me!"
What does knowledge allow love to do?
Prov 24:3-4 "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."
What is love without knowledge? Let's say there is a story of a girl named, say, Mrs. Hoard. She is an ignorant, but loving mother. She feeds her children an all meat diet, because she believes meat is the best kind of food. One day she gains some important knowledge after reading a nutrition guide, and she starts buying a mixture of food types for her children. As a result her children become healthier.
Question: Did this mother love her children more before or after she gained the knowledge? Hmmm... The same! But until the knowledge, her love was even . Knowledge that is true allows love to blossom into good fruit.Hos 4:6 "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge."
The TRUTH about knowledge: Jam 1:17 "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow." Regardless, knowledge comes from the BIG MAN ABOVE. Not from society. Not from a friend. Not from a parent. The good knowledge at least. Don't listen to anyone else but your heart. If your are in the right place, then your heart should be an intimate place where the Lover of your Soul speaks to you. Yes, sometimes it is best not knowing things. That is, knowing BAD things. This brings us to the point of how everything happens for a reason. You know things for a reason, and you don't know things for a reason. All in all, leave it up to Him. He will give you the right knowledge you ask for. Persevere for wisdom given from His Hands alone.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
New Revelations
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple." Isaiah 6:1
We often view difficult times, crisis times, as bad because the circumstances we face are very hard. But difficult times can also be an oppertunity for our hearts to re- awaken to the steadfastness and the glorious God, as well as our great need for Him in our lives. The crisis of Uzziah's death for Israel and Isaiah became the great oppertunity for Isaiah to see God in a fresh way and to be called into a special ministry for God. How can God use your crisis, hardships, trials, and difficulties? Why don't you ask Him to show you!
We often view difficult times, crisis times, as bad because the circumstances we face are very hard. But difficult times can also be an oppertunity for our hearts to re- awaken to the steadfastness and the glorious God, as well as our great need for Him in our lives. The crisis of Uzziah's death for Israel and Isaiah became the great oppertunity for Isaiah to see God in a fresh way and to be called into a special ministry for God. How can God use your crisis, hardships, trials, and difficulties? Why don't you ask Him to show you!
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