Encouraging Scriptures: Dec 2012

Ok I'd like to share some Scriptures God has used to encourage me in my time of leaping in faith (aka moving to Stellies):

Joshua 1:5-6 "I will never leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous"
Johua 1:9 " ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Heb 13:5 (AMP): "...for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]"

Gotta love it!!! God will not fail you, He will not abandon you! I do not go alone, wherever I go He is with me; therefore I do not have to fear or worry- because He is right there! and he takes care of me, He does not leave me helpless, but instead is a ever present help in trouble (Psa 46:1). I know life can be hard, faith can be scary and sometimes it feels like nothing is working out! I know because in the last month I've decided to move to a place I barely know, change the way I dress, and I'm trying complain less. I've lost my purity ring (despite believing I'll find it again), said goodbye to many friends and dealt with some issues of my past. Not easy stuff, but through it all God was there- ready to listen, ready to help (even when I didn't feel Him). He kept reminding me He is there for me, He will give me new strength (Isa 40:29-31), and He will NOT abandon me. And I know despite hardships I face- God is with me, He is for me. Therefore I will keep standing, I will keep fighting, and I will keep being courageous  Because God will NOT fail me, he will not let me go, He will not forsake me- NEVER EVER (Read Heb 13:5 again!) 
May God bless you with the knowledge that He is there for you, will not fail you; may His face shine upon you, may He give you peace as you rest knowing you are safe in His hand! And may Jesus, always be gracious to you!

Poem

God:    Arise Erika! Let your light shine! For the glory of the LORD is shining upon you. Arise my love, my beautiful one, and come away; for behold the winter has passed, the flowers are in bloom and the time of singing has come. Yes spring is here! Arise my love, my beautiful one, and come away. You, Erika, have ravished my heart, you are my treasure; my bride. You are precious to me, you are honoured and I love you! “I have loved you deeply, with an everlasting love,” says the Lord. “You are my own special treasure.”

Erika:  Lord satisfy me with your love, for you are soo good, so ready to forgive and so full of unfailing love.  For you, oh Lord are all I really want in life.

God:    I created you, I have made you fearfully and wonderful and have cared for you, since before you were borne. I will carry you, and save you.  I have chosen you as my bride, my beloved. I the Lord delight in you and claim you as my own. I will rejoice over you, quiet you with my love, and sing over you. I hold you in my hand, and carry you close to my heart.

Erika:  O LORD, your unfailing love is better than life itself, LORD satisfy me with your love, for you are ALL I really want.

God:    My child, I have loved you with an everlasting love. I will not fail nor abandon you, so be strong and courageous, for I the Lord am with you, wherever you go. I clothe you with strength and dignity. I will give you beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning and praise instead of despair. All will be well with you, my child, for I know the plans I have for you, they are for good, and not disaster to give you a future and a hope. You will be overcome with joy and gladness, and you will inherit a double portion. Know all my promises are true, for I am the Lord, and I do not change.

Erika:  O LORD your love endures forever. You alone are GOD and you alone are worthy of all praise.

God:    Erika, I promise to rebuild you; I will loosen all the chains that bind you. I will remove from you all the insults and mockery against you. I have made you victorious! For I am about to do a brand new thing, see I have already begun, see a new life has been created in you. For I delight in you! Arise Erika, my love, my beautiful one and come away with me.

Still Single?!

So you’re 25, 35 etc. and yes you’re still single, and no you don’t really want to be that way, and NO there isn’t anything wrong with you! You’ve just come back shopping for another bridesmaid dress, and it feels like your heart is breaking. It’s not like you want to marry him! But seeing them together, or just planning the wedding hurts A LOT!!! Especially if they are a godly couple, because there is a longing inside of you, put there by God to be known to be loved, cherished and protected. Yet somehow when we feel this, it makes us feel like bad Christians, like we’re saying God is not enough. Yet God has put the desire there!!! It has been a real struggle for me personally to realize there is not something wrong with me for wanting a man. Before I started dealing with my issues, I pushed guys away, and hated them and the idea of wanting one, although deep inside I did want one. Now where I’ve started to deal with the stuff which is part of living in a broken world, I realize I do want a man and that’s ok… it’s actually a God given desire.



Sometimes as a single young lady, it’s hard not to think there is something wrong with you, especially when people make comments about your looks, personality etc. And you’re so over people matchmaking you, you just wish people (excluding Mr. Right of course) would leave you alone!!! But those are some of the challenges you deal with on a daily basis, as a single woman. And I want to say it’s ok to struggle with your singleness. I know I often do! I also want to say when it feels eina to go to another wedding, kitchen tea, baby shower, kids’ birthday party, or to just be around godly couples- just remember God loves you: He is there! He is you’re comforter (Isa 51v12), He is you’re husband (Isa 54v5; 62v5); and He will never EVER leave you (Joshua 1v5; Heb 13v5). And it’s not always easy, it often feels like you are in the wilderness and you’re promised land is 40 years away! (Let’s hope it’s not!) But when you’re heart is heavy and sore, bring it to Him; He understands- He loves you more than you can know. Ask someone to pray for you, and always ALWAYS remember to keep you’re eyes glued to the cross. He loves you SO much he paid the price for you, He gave it all so you could love, know and be in a relationship with Him. So when the going gets tough- remember there is one who calls you precious, who deems you worthy of his blood, one who pursues you, desires you, one who loves you with a deep unfailing love, one who will never let you go. So open you’re heart: pour it out to him: the good the bad and the ugly, every hurt, every pain, all the longing. He knows you, He loves you, and He wants you’re heart. Respond to the invitation and come as you are to him, even if it’s broken and sore. Accept his heavenly marriage proposal of sharing his everlasting love. May God bless you, keep you, may His face shine upon you now in you’re single days and forever more.