The Woman In The Mirror

Self-image issues: many of us deal with it. We look in the mirror, step on the scale, view photographs and are disappointed, even disgusted, by what we see. This can send us down a spiraling staircase of depression and abusive self-talk. The next thing we know, we feel hopeless and confused, paralyzed by our frustrations and unable to know where to begin - or even if it is worth it.

This is where I found myself last winter. I hated what I saw in the mirror. All I could see was a fat me staring back at me. When I stepped on the scale, I viewed that number as a mirror of who I was. In other words, my physical appearance was all I could see and since that physical appearance was not what I knew it should be or what I wanted it to be, I lost hope.

Having lost hope, I began to grasp at things -- anything that would make me feel pretty or desirable. Grasping at the wrong things. I sought out the help of an old acquaintance, as a makeshift trainer. This old acquaintance didn't know me - he thought he did. He didn't understand me - he thought he did. And he didn't agree with me - Ah, now ironically that is something that we BOTH agreed upon! My faith is integral to my life. I cannot function properly without it. Now seriously, if I had lost hope and I had faith, how much worse would it have been without it?!? Not only did he not share my faith, he was AGAINST it and he made it very clear from the moment I mentioned God in one of my emails.

Working with a trainer who is completely opposite of you faith wise can be quite a challenge. However, I had felt like I needed to continue on. He got me thinking about why I wanted to lose weight. The more I thought about it and the more he hammered it into me, I was wanting to do this for all of the wrong reasons. My reasons were as follows:

• To look better in clothes
• To turn heads - to make people want me (even though I'm taken!)
• To not have to go into the plus size sections
• To like the number on the scale

Amazingly, he led me to the feet of God on more than one occasion. Oh how irritated he would be if he only knew! The more I pondered my reasons, the more I realized how sinful my intent was. All of this pondering led to sleepless nights and spiritual battles unlike I had ever been in. Eventually, I realized that the real reason I should want to lose the weight is because I want to honor the Lord with my body. I not only want to sound like a child of God, but I want to LOOK like one! I do not feel I can do this properly unless I take care of the temple that I have invited Him to live in and work through.

Step One was accomplished. I felt it was time to let the trainer go at this time, for his purpose had been served in my life. Of course this was not the end of God working through these issues with me but it was a major hurdle for me. He began to show me my beauty, from the inside as well as the parts of me that were quite ugly. Spirit Cleanse - it does a body good. HA!

Through the fall and winter, my physical activity waned and my eating habits fell off the wagon. You know, that's probably a struggle I will always deal with. But that is OK, as long as I remain sensitive to the voice of God calling me back to submissiveness in the way I handle my body. He didn't leave me be, but instead kept giving me these little stirrings in my soul.

One night at church, we were doing a Beth Moore study called Sacred Secrets -- AWESOME study. If you haven't read the book or seen the videos, I highly highly recommend it! In that study, she brought up something that tugged at my heart strings:

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:15-16 )

Beth stressed that before my mother even knew that I existed, God knew and He was looking at me in love. He wanted me as HIS secret first. How precious that makes me feel!! This was the beginning of Step Two in my journey of renewing my view of myself. To know that the God of the Universe takes so much pleasure in knowing me. Even before I was known to anyone else. Even before my body was formed. Even in my current form. If that doesn't make me want to honor Him with this body, this temporary blip of a life I have here on this earth, then I don't know what would!

If you are like me and you struggle with the woman (or man) in the mirror, read though Psalm 139. It just may change your perspective. Now, go in confidence, beloved child of God. For He has created you as a wonderfully unique and beautiful being!

Beware of Wolves in Sheeps Clothing!

Tonight my husband and I received a call on both of our cell phones from 1-800-318-7853 from Prophet Manasseh Jordan Ministries. Neither of us answered. The message left said that he knew we were experiencing a very hard time in our life right now and that we should call back to be in his prayer closet so he can pray for us and miracles can happen. After a little research and watching several full clips of his shows, I have realized that he is actually FALSE Prophet Manasseh Jordan, a wolf in sheeps clothing. He preys on the weak, needy, hopeless and tells them that for sowing just a $52 seed, God will change their lives. Really? God requires people to spend $52 to have a change, miracle, healing??? I think not! Where is Martin Luther when you need him? Beware of them! We are surrounded. Dig into God's word and ask Him for wisdom and discernment to be able to test and prove if something is of the Lord. And NEVER feel bad for exposing the lies when you find them!

Calloused

Recently I picked up my guitar, after about 6 years of barely picking it up. I guess you could say I've been inspired to play it once again. One thing I noticed is that after 6 years, I had nearly forgotten every chord that I had worked so hard to memorize.

Not only had I forgotten the chords, but playing the guitar was painful....literally. My fingers were tender after playing for only 5 minutes! My callouses were gone. Only 6 years earlier I still had them. That was that which protected me from the pain of playing. I had practiced so much that I no longer would get pain when practicing for long periods of time. My fingers were tougher, stronger and less susceptible to the pain from the work of practice.

This reminded me of faith. In our faith, there are often times painful things that we have to go through. We may have to get rid of something, break off an unhealthy relationship, give up an addiction or ask for forgiveness from someone who didn't even know you had wronged them in the first place. Becoming strong in the Lord usually takes a painful growth period....developing our callouses so we are stronger. At some point, the painful moments are fewer and farther between as we learn to keep our faith and hope in God and what He would ask us to do.

But what happens when we fall away from Him? When we come back to Him are we automatically back to where we were before, callouses and all? That is RARELY the case. No, instead we often times have to go through the painful process of growth yet again. Learning the chords and developing the callouses to make our fingers stronger for the job at hand. Sometimes those pains are from consequences from sin. Other times they are from tests of our faith to make us stronger.

God never intended for us to go on the roller-coaster faith ride. He desires to see us endure the pain, persevere, grow and become stronger. The callouses are a sign of practice and a good reminder of what endurance can do.

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Love

Have you ever noticed how the people who you love and who love you disappoint you? They hurt you, sometimes intentionally. They don't show it to you. They may show that love to another while neglecting the love that they have for you. They sometimes love and then leave as if never having loved before. When this happens, how does it make you feel? Does it leave you feeling unloved? How about unwhole? Or worthless?

I have yet to find another human that has PERFECT love. So when I come to rely on the love I find from other people, especially what the world tells me the definition of love is, I find myself feeling incomplete. I do this to myself over and over again. And yet, somehow, I am always surprised when someone's love doesn't complete me or doesn't live up to my expectations.

As a Christian, I have come to realize (with constant reminders) that ONLY God is true love. That ONLY through Him will I find the love that encompasses EVERYTHING that I desire. Without Him, I am truly incomplete. With Him, I am made whole. And with that love, I can really begin to love others the way God would intend for me to love. So why do I rely on the love the world has to give to fill me to the brim? I love this Sidewalk Prophets song. Listen to the words closely....especially the chorus.


Psalm 36:7
How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

"Forgetting what the world has told me. Father of Love, You can have me!"

Pride

Have you ever noticed how unbecoming of someone their pride is? I'm not talking about the quiet pride of a job well done or of a child who has accomplished some goal that they worked hard to accomplish. I'm speaking of the pride that rears its ugly head, making us feel that we have done it all on our own or could do it without the help of the Lord.

We are all guilty of this. Have you found yourself speaking of your sinful past in a prideful manner? For example, instead of using your drug taking or drunken days to speak of the wonderful and totally undeserved grace of God, you use it to bring humor to a conversation. Sitting in a group of people who are glorifying the act of getting drunk you begin to mention that "there was this one time when me and a group of buddies got so drunk that we ...." Or how about that time when you did something really great at work/home/school and every time you get the chance you bring up how well you did at -insert whatever you did here-?

It is quite ugly, isn't it? Nearly all of the times that pride is mentioned in the bible it mentions a fall afterwards.

1 Samuel 2:3
"Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.

2 Chronicles 26:16a
But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.

Psalm 10:4
In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Isaiah 2:11
The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

Isaiah 13:11
I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

Daniel 5:20
But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.

Obadiah 1:3
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'

Luke 1:51
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."


I don't want to overwhelm you with more scriptures regarding pride and being proud, but I want you to see what I am seeing. I can see it in my own life as well as the lives of others, and it IS ugly. Not all pride is sinful pride. Taking pride in Christ, being proud of someone who has done a good job and taking pride in the work you do is not a bad thing. It is when that pride takes over and you become a proud person that the pride is a sinful pride. When you elevate yourself above the Lord and above others, that is when it is sin. When you bring your sin glory instead of making sure your speech glorifies the Lord, that is when your pride is sin.

So how do we fix this issue of sinful pride? Asking the Lord to cleanse our hearts and our minds is the first step. We must fall on our faces before Him and show Him that HE alone is how we can do ANY good at all. HE is God. WE are not.

Psalm 51:7
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalm 86:10
For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.

Psalm 149:4
For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.

James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.


Humility is not a human trait that has come easily since the fall of man. Many view it as a "weak" human trait. However, we should not be looking at how men view us, but instead on how God views us! I love how Paul words this to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 1:25-31:

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."


May the Lord bless you as you humbly seek to follow Him!

And They'll Know We Are Christians By Our....

Bumper stickers? A couple weeks ago, a lady at work approached me in regards to my car. She said, "I was behind this car yesterday and I just knew it had to be you!" I asked her why and she told me it was because of my bumper sticker. I had to try hard not to spit out the tea that I was drinking. I was laughing pretty hard. My bumper sticker says: "Are you following JESUS this close?" Now, I don't know if it was because the bumper sticker has the word Jesus, or if it is the sarcasm mixed with what it says on the bumper sticker that gave it away. I'm told by my coworkers that I am a silly person. I keep them laughing, thus my confusion over which part of the bumper sticker gave it away was understandable.

This lady has heard me talk about my faith and my desire to do some work in the ministry. She knows that when they go out to male strip clubs, I won't go. I don't even get invited to most of the parties simply due to the fact that I don't enjoy it when people get drunk and I tend to leave early on so that I won't be overly tempted to get drunk myself. Sometimes I feel like the outcast, but I know they leave me out because they know it doesn't mesh with my lifestyle. I'm ok with that, because it shows they respect me. So naturally I took her knowing it was my car as a compliment.

This interaction had me thinking though. What is my life saying? If I went out with them to the strip clubs and partying until I was drunk off my wonderfully rounded behind, would she have known it was my car or would she have thought it belonged to someone else?

The song says "And they'll know we are Christians by our love". I don't want people to know I'm a Christian simply because I talk about God, don't do what they do, don't talk like they talk, or because I have a Jesus bumper sticker on my car. I want them to know I am a Christian because of my LOVE for Christ and my LOVE for His creation!

Ephesians 5:1-2
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Her

Words cannot describe all I feel for her but I am going to attempt it nonetheless.

I'm thankful for every time she kissed away my "boo-boo's". When my friends backstabbed me, she was the one who wiped away those tears, told me that time will heal those wounds and that they just weren't true friends. Never did she tell me I was silly for feeling like it was the end of the world when a boy broke my heart and sometimes she even cried along with me.

Her gentleness and tenderness is like no other that I have known in this world. Her beauty extends beyond her looks--beautiful inside and out. Her patience is at a level that only God could give a woman. For all the years that I gave her pain and quiet rebellion (okay, yes, and LOUD rebellion), she was persistent in prayer for me. Her faith in the Living God is astounding and her willingness to learn more of Him makes me desire to know Him more as well. Her love for her husband and her children is only surpassed in her love for the Lord. Because of this, I have desired to be like her.

Who can find a woman of virtue? I have found her. This BEAUTIFUL woman, full of grace and love, is my Mother. Today is her birthday and I want nothing more than for her to know how much she is loved and appreciated EVERY day of the year--not just today.

Mom, may your birthday be relaxing and fulfilling. Thank you for being everything that you are and for striving to be all that you can be in the Lord. You are wonderful. I love you so much!

Bittersweet

A piece of bittersweet chocolate: slightly bitter, slightly sweet. As you take a bite into this dark piece of pleasure, the battle explodes in your mouth. The person who first called it bittersweet chocolate, captured it perfectly.

Today, Good Friday, reminds me of bittersweet chocolate. A little bitter and a little sweet. The bitterness comes as I think of the nails that went through Christ's sinless hands. It comes as I think of the thorns that pierced His flawless head. It comes as I think of the spear that pierced His side. It comes as I think of the jeering and cheering that went on as He walked that path to the hill where He was crucified. It comes as I think of the sin that weighed down on Him as He took His final breath. And with all of these bitter feelings that swell up inside of me as I ponder these things, I am ashamed of who I am, with all of my wretchedness. I am saddened that I had any part to play in the reason He did this.

However, just as in bittersweet chocolate, I am filled with the sweetness. The sweetness comes when I think of the willingness of Christ as He told the Father "but thy will be done". It comes when I think of how He chastised Peter for using His sword against the soldier that was taking Christ to trial. It comes when I think of the forgiveness He showed to the sinner beside Him as He was suffering on the cross. It comes when I remember His words "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." It comes when I remember how He followed through to completion His death on the cross, to provide a way for us to be able to live as God's children. And finally, it comes as I remember His resurrection 3 days later, thus fulfilling prophecy and giving us LIFE! I am humbled by His sacrifice and ever so grateful.

Yes, this day is so bittersweet. What a precious gift we have been given through our Saviour!

Cold

It has been so cold here the past week; at times, hard to breathe. The temperatures have been anywhere from -1 to -40 degrees (with the lower end of it being what it was the majority of the time). Whenever I would walk outside it was as if any moisture on my body would freeze up and I'd be chilled to the bone. Several minutes outside in these kinds of conditions without proper clothing or gloves could result in frostbite or even death.

These double digit negatives had me thinking though. What is the condition of my heart? You've heard it said that if you throw a frog into a cool pot of water and slowly raise the temperature, he will not jump out and will slowly be cooked to death as you raise the pot to a boil. The same is with the opposite end of the spectrum. If you throw it into a cool pot of water and put that pot into the freezer, the frog will fall asleep and slowly freeze to death, completely unaware of the situation. In Revelation chapter 3 verse 16, we are given a glimpse as to what God thinks of the condition of the heart "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Lukewarm is such a comfortable place to be. I don't have to worry about looking like a religious freak but at the same time I don't feel completely lonely. I'm just comfortable there. But this is a very dangerous place and not at all where God wants me to be. To Him, this is so detestable that He would "spew" me out of His mouth!

I remember back to when I was not a Christian. I was lonely, depressed and didn't see a purpose for my life. I wanted so badly to be like everyone around me, no matter how damaging the lifestyle was to me. Then when I became a Christian, everything about God was exciting. I was hot for God and didn't care who knew about it. I had a fresh outlook on life. I wasn't lonely anymore and I wanted others to feel how I did. Then one day the ugly "S" word got in the way. SIN. Pretty soon, I was not on fire for God anymore but was more comfortable in living like everyone else around me was. I didn't want anyone to see me carrying my Bible or hear me listening to Christian music. In fact, I stopped listening to music that glorified the Lord and engulfed myself in that which glorified only my desires. I still talked to God though. I still read His Word---occasionally. But it had become our "little secret". I became lukewarm and was totally comfortable being there. In a lukewarm place, cold is not that far away and not that hard to become. After a while of being lukewarm, I found it easier and easier to close my ears to what God would say to me and my eyes to the beauty that is found through Him. I began to feel lonely yet also complacent. I began to fall asleep, a sign that the cold was taking over. In that stage, I surely would have died had God not taken a hold of my heart again.

To move from cold to hot again, God breaks the heart. This is painful but necessary. This is a part of the refining that we go through to make us more like the man God wants us to be. Daniel 12:10 says "Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand." Think about your heart for a moment. Where are you at spiritually? Do you know and walk with God daily or do you reject Him completely? Or are you one who accepted Him to save you but only calls on Him when you are in trouble or on Sundays? Do you feel cold and lonely or are you excited about life and the things God has blessed you with?

Isaiah 6:5-7
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

Jump out of the pot and into the fire. Let God ignite that flame in your heart once again and bring you to repentance. Let Him touch the coal to your lips so that your guilt is taken away. It isn't an easy place to be but it is rewarding and it is where we need to be. When you come back to God, He WILL break you but He will also hold you because He loves you. Let Him refine you and purify you!

The One That Got Away

My husband and I were enjoying a meal at a hamburger restaurant when "he" walked in and my attention was automatically drawn to him. He had his wife and two young daughters with him. In silence, he and his wife sat down as the girls chatted away about the food that was to come. I sat quietly observing them as I ate my food.

The interaction between the family was not that which would draw attention to themselves but for some reason they held mine. The wife didn't smile. The daughters were laughing and talking excitedly as they ate their food, yet still no smile crossed the mother's lips. The man watched his wife, the whole time in longing. It was clear that he loved her and wanted some type of interaction, but it was not coming. She didn't talk to him and would not even look his direction. In my eyes, it appeared that she was unhappy with her life. This saddened me.

As this dinner continued, the interaction of the family did not change. Two words were etched in my mind: "Cherish her". I looked down for a moment at the napkin before me and over at the pen in my purse. "No God" I thought as embarrassment flooded my mind. But the words persisted as I ate my meal. So, I began to make excuses "What would my husband think if I did this? What would the wife of this man think? This is just crazy God. How can you ask me to do something so random???" The war of my mind continued. Suddenly, and I am certain it was God's testing, part of my fear was taken away as my husband excused himself to use the restroom. My eyes widened as I realized what had just taken place. God had taken away the biggest fear that I had in carrying out what He was telling me to do. "Cherish her." The push was stronger as I looked at the family once again, and then to the pen and napkin. I fidgeted nervously with the napkin. "No God. Please, I just can't do this."

My husband returned from the restroom, ready to leave. I agreed, and as I gathered my coat and purse the words still lingered "Cherish her." As our car drove away from the restaurant, I knew I had done wrong. I had grieved the Holy Spirit and had not given that man the napkin with those words written on it. I told God no and that what He was asking me was too much for me to do...at least in my mind it was.

Now, I may not have changed their marriage by not doing that--but I may have. However, I know that if God wanted it done, it would be done. I missed out on a spiritual reward that day. No matter how big or small, we should obey God. It may sound like the most silly thing for us to do but God knows the big picture. I failed the test that day but I learned a valuable lesson that will not soon leave my memory.

2 Corinthians 2:14-15
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Will There Be A Rapture?

I used to be a firm believer in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Lately I have been approached about my views on the rapture. Figured I would put it out here. Even most of my family doesn't know how I view the rapture. Through my own personal study of God's Word, comparing different versions, and through prayer, I feel convinced that most Christians version of what is going to happen in the end of days is not accurate nor Biblical.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-18
14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

First of all, in verse 16, I believe the dead in Christ is referring to the physical bodies of those believers who have died. I believe their spirits are already in Paradise...not Heaven. Paradise is where Christ told the thief on the cross beside him that he would meet Him there that day. I believe the once the believer dies, their physical body goes into the ground and their spirit goes to paradise. I believe Heaven and Paradise are two different places. I do not believe paradise is a place where believers go and must be prayed for in order to reach heaven as Catholicism preaches on purgatory. I don't believe you or anyone else can pray your way out of paradise. I believe Heaven is reserved for God and the angels until Christ's final return and He creates a new Heaven and a new Earth (notice no mention of a new Paradise?).

My belief is that when Christ returns, it will be right before His wrath is poured out. At that point that is when we will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. As for whether or not this is a physical lifting into the air or not I do not know for sure. This may be symbolic. All I do know for certain, this indicates that we will not endure the wrath of God. We will be protected from it. God's wrath is reserved ONLY for those who have rejected Him.

However, there are many indications Biblically that we will have to endure tribulation. It does not make sense and is found nowhere Biblically that we will be raptured before the Great Tribulation found in Revelation. How many people do you think would suddenly believe because they saw all of the believer friends suddenly disappear? Probably 90% of humanity would. Biblically, it does not show 4 comings of Christ. The Bible indicates three. A pre-tribulation rapture would mean that there would have to be 4 comings.

But no, Christ is not coming 4 times. Christ came to earth as a baby (1st coming). Christ died and rose again (his 2nd coming because remember He went to Paradise after He died on the cross). Christ is coming again (3rd and final coming) after tribulation--which is Satan's free reign on earth--to take the saved and pour down His wrath on the wicked world.

So will this rapture happen? Yes, but not as many believers think. Christ will come back, raise first the dead believers, and then lift up the believers. There is no indication there is any chance for anyone after that point which shows that this is when Christ will establish His reign and pour out His wrath.

I have yet to have anyone show me scripture supporting a pre-tribulation rapture. If someone can show me undisputed scripture of this, I will reconsider my stance through prayer and comparison of God's Word. While no one knows EXACTLY what the end of the earth as we know it will entail, no one should assume that they are going to *poof* into the clouds and not have to endure any hardships at all.

With the same lips?

I must admit, my language the past couple of years has not been becoming of a Christian woman let alone one who is desiring to draw closer to her Saviour. I had become lax in my words, allowing myself to pick up the ugly habit of cursing--even to the point of using it in normal everyday conversation. Only God knows the number of people I turned away from His gospel just because I was not self-controlled enough to watch what I said.

The past couple of months I have found myself in a position where I have been desiring to grow stronger in my faith. I began studying the Bible a little deeper and getting reaquainted with debate with non-believers. It has been a very humbling yet rewarding couple of months for me. My faith has grown leaps and bounds.

About a month ago, though, I was being convicted of my language (which had lightened up a bit but was still not pleasing to my Lord). Then one morning I was searching for some Scripture to use in debate and I came across James 3. Being a Christian and growing up in a Christian home I had read that passage MANY times but it seemed like at this point it really sunk in deep.

James 3:9-12

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men,who have been made in God's likeness.

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the samespring?

My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bearfigs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

So now I begin the next phase of my growth in controlling the tongue. I want for my words to bring Him glory and praise. I'm trying to cut out my cursing. I know this will be a challenge but if I already know how to do it at church then I can definitely practice the self control in my everyday life. With the power of Christ I CAN and WILL tame this tongue of mine.