~I must tell Jesus!

I must tell Jesus all of my trials; 

I can not bear these burdens alone;

In my distress He kindly will help me; 

He ever loves and cares for His own!

I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!

I cannot bear my burdens alone;

I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!

Jesus can help me, Jesus alone!

I was humming this song today and it got me on this train of thought: When you have a problem or a dilemma, who do you go to, to talk it through?

For me it's normally my dad. I feel safe in sharing my heart with him because he wants what's best for me and trys to do what he can to solve my problem or question, or at least point me in the right direction! 

 And that is the kind of relationship we need to have with God too. Intimate, trusting, and...bold?! Ok that last one might not sound quite right, but what I mean is, God wants us to trust Him so completely that we come running to Him all the time. Yes we have to be reverent and respectful, but He is our heavenly Father and He loves it when you come willingly to spend time with Him or to just pour your heart out to Him.

 Sometimes (more often than it should) when I'm feeling burdened by something, I feel like I need to get it out. So...I go find someone who will listen to me. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with talking things over, but could there be a reason why I'm feeling like this? Maybe because I'm thinking about it from my perspective and not from God's. Maybe God allowed me to have these feelings so that I would see that I need to trust Him more. I want to goa little further than that. I believe God wants every area in our lives, every problem, every discouragement, to show us our weakness and then for us to turn to His strength and power. 

 I've heard Sarah Mally talk a bit about springboards and so I wanted to challenge ya'll to do that, except in a little different way than she did. This week whenever you start feeling  down or discouraged, stop right there, and use those feelings to remind you that God is there for you all the time. Tell Him what you are dealing with and don't walk away from Him until He gives you a peace about it. 

We serve an all powerful God! He has conquered! He is victorious! He wants you to be too! And you can. By getting to know Him and through obeying His commands.  

~Meet Kat!

WARNING-horse topic ahead! 

Hey I FINALLY got some good pictures of Kat! I rode today and thought it might be fun to tell ya'll about it seeing as I haven't written anything real horsie lately.

For you who don't know much about Kat, we just got her this past fall, and soon after, she got sick for a while. So I couldn't ride her much, but now I'm trying to get to her. When we got her she was 8. As far as training went she had 30 days put on her as a 2 year old and hadn't been ridden since! But I right away felt very comfortable with her. She's pretty green but because she doesn't get worked up about much I tend to think of her as more of an older experienced horse. (Which she isn't!)

She's more of a light built horse which I'm really liking. I'm used to the more short and stocky quarter horses. I love wrapping my arms around her neck and it feels like your holding on to a foal because she's so delicate like. I don't know how tall she is exactly, somewhere around 14.2 probably. Maybe a little taller than that but not by much. 

She kinda has mule-ish coloring but I think she's gorgeous! For the pictures I had to have Jess hold her because she wouldn't just stay there! That is one thing I really need to work on: she was never taught to just stand and do nothing. Tacking up is a bit of a chore. OK she's not bad but I'm used to my horses just standing there. I guess I'm spoiled!

Anyway today Jess and I rode and it was beautiful out! As you can see I used my barrel saddle. I've had a hard time finding a saddle to use on her. My cutting saddle is way too big, so I've tried one of our trail saddles and I had a hard time staying sitting in that one. (Kat work so much off of your sitting postition, which is goo and bad. When I get out of place she comes to a screeching halt whether I'm ready or not!) Finally I just went to a barrel saddle. I rarely use them any more because they are so impractical for more of the working horse style. Rollbacks and sliding stops just don't go well with the high rise fronts! (Although barrel saddles do hold you in better than others, which is why I started using one on Kat.) The problem is with them is that they sit you in a forward position and our horses are trained with body language where you need to be sitting down and back more, not up and forward. 

I started out just walking mainly in circles working at bending and keeping her attention on me. She's been getting feed and weight builder lately and when I swung up on her I knew I was in for something. Just not sure what! She had more energy than I've ever seen her with, but she still behaved very well. After warming up a bit I rode her into the roundpen and started trotting around. She was more than willing to comply. Then I decided to get down to business and ask for a canter. I haven't done a lot of cantering with her yet so trying to keep her at a canter is sometimes a bit hard. I get as much of a workout as she does! Anyway I squeezed with my outside leg, kissed, and picked up the inside rein just a bit, and she took off! Crow-hops came immediately after and then a mid air lunge! Nothing real big or crazy like and I was expecting it so it wasn't a big deal. I pulled her in a tight circle and banged her with my outside leg a bit. (I don't use spurs with her right now so it was just my heel.) I wasn't rough but I wanted to make it plain and clear that behaving like that is not acceptable. I know she is green and inexperienced with a lot of energy at the moment, but she needs to still be shown what is right and what is wrong. There was a little bit more of that then next time I asked her to canter but not as bad. After a while she started evening out and didn't just bust forward as much! I'm happy with how she did and can't wait to ride her again. I just keep imagining the day when I'll be able to let anyone ride her. Which actually... probably... isn't that far off! Yay!   

~Hallelujah! Christ Arose!

We sang this in church today. Such a fitting song! Hope you are having a blessed Easter day remembering the true reason why we celebrate it. The ultimate reason He came was to show the Father's love, which was to create a way to be with Him for eternity. What a Savior!  

Christ Arose

Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my savior

Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose! With a mighty triumph or'e His foes!

He arose the victor from the dark domain, and He live forever with His saints to reign;

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!  

Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my savior

Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose! With a mighty triumph or'e His foes!

He arose the victor from the dark domain, and He live forever with His saints to reign;

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!  

Death can not keep his prey, Jesus my savior

He tore the bars away! Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose! With a mighty triumph or'e His foes!

He arose the victor from the dark domain, and He live forever with His saints to reign;

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!  

~Why are you here?

Well I'll answer that right away with what I believe. You are here for a purpose!
1. For God's pleasure ~Revelation. 4:11
2. To bring glory and honor to Him ~Psalm 29:1
3. To bring others to the knowledge and truth of Him ~John 8:32
4. To help set souls free! ~John 8:36

Sooo, how can YOU do that?
I'd say all those points can be summed up in living a life totally dedicated to Him. Your complete life and total surrender to His will is the greatest gift you could give God. Even if you personally never "win a soul for the Lord," by living totally for Him you will have sown more seeds than you could ever imagine!

What can you do NOW?
-Dedicate your life to God
-Identify lies in your life
-Become free of those lies
-Share what God has shown you, to others
-Start mentoring someone (younger sibling? struggling friend?)

As you can see mentoring others was the last on my list. You can not be an effective witness for God until you have dedicated your life to Him and dealt with the sin and lies in your life.

What should be evident in my life after this?
-Peace that God is in control and knows what's best.
-Love for others, a deep care for their soul.
-Joy, God is so good you just can't help but be joyful!
-Patience through trials and with difficult people.

There are more but are you getting this? The fruit of the spirit is the evidence! Oh but there is one I have to add that isn't 'technically' a fruit of the spirit.

-Hope because God is on the throne and has already conquered!

Just remembering that one thing can keep you from despair and depression.
God is always faithful!
Will you be?

~Desires

I came upon this verse and it reminded me so much that our hearts as single girls should be set on God not seeking after relationships with guys. It just seemed to fit my post so well!

Lord I've a desire, it's mainly this,

To have a husband, to love, to kiss.

To serve you together in faithfulness,

To raise a family that you can bless.

Yet Lord I realize you want my whole,

My emotions, my mind, my will, my soul.

And Lord my desire can not take your place.

I must completely seek your face.

So in a box, my desires will go,

And open only, when you say so.

On the day you provide the leader for me,

And we'll promise to serve you faithfully.

But, for now a different desire I'll chase.

One that's nobler, of a higher place.

To love and to seek your will and not mine,

And then I'll know, my desires are thine! 

  As girls we all know what it's like to have desires. To find that perfect man, (for us!) get married, and raise a family. These are all good desires, but they have to be given to God so He can save them for His perfect time.
  You may be wondering...

Why can't I think about them now?

Well because right now they are only distractions. Are you ready to be married now? Probably not. So if you seek after them now you will be getting ahead of God's timing.

What should my desires be right now?

We girls need to be focusing our lives on having an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, serving our families, and learning to be housekeepers. It all boils down to learning to be a godly woman. This time of our life is for preparing.
Also the relationship and respect you have right now with your father will either be a hindrance or a help, depending on how close it is. If you do not respect your father (the authority in your life) how will you respect the man you marry? He will then be your authority. If there are things you hide or don't tell your father, you will also  not be able to be completely honest with your husband. Our relationships with our fathers are to prepare us for the relationships with our future husbands. There are many things to be working on now! Before you're married.

How will I know if it's the right time?

Definitely lots of prayer and seeking God's will. I know this doesn't work for everyone because of having unbelieving parents, but your mom and dad, especially your dad should be the ones to help direct you in this. Always work with your parents even if they aren't Christians. There are many blessings in the Bible for honoring and obeying your parents. As long as it doesn't make you go against God or His word. As young women our hearts and emotions are vulnerable. If you have a Christian father I hope he is doing his best to protect your heart and that you are allowing him to. Back to the question though. You will have to be trusting God and asking him to show you His time, with your parents and also by yourself. It is doubtful God will bring the right man along until you have given up your desires and are serving Him right where you are.

How do I give them to God?

To start off, it has to be from your heart. If you just tell God you want Him to have your desires, and don't mean it, well you get the point.
So just give them to Him. Tell Him that you are now committed to wait on His timing. The thing is, in giving up that, it will leave an empty spot. You know, all the times you spent dreaming, thinking, and planning has to be replaced by something, but what? That is going to be up to you, God and your parents. (I don't care if you are 18 or older God gave you parents for a reason) Ask God what He wants you to be doing right now, and ask your parents what they think you could be working on.

What if I don't give them to God?

If you don't you are telling God that you don't want His best and that you plan to do it your own way. I would feel deeply sorry for you. It might not come right away but there will be consequences. There always is with sin. And yes not giving your desires to God is sin. You're holding out for your own and God will not take second place to anything.

What am I supposed to get from this?

God has a plan for you. Greater than you could ever imagine. But you will only see it if you wait on His timing and do it in His way. 

Oh and if any of you are wondering what brought this on... well you may have guessed it by now but my family and I are going through Sarah Mally's book "Before you meet Prince Charming."  ;)

~Heart issues

                       I can't wait for good weather because I am running very low on pictures to use!

I decided to continue what I was thinking about in Romans 6. My last post I went over verses 14 and 15 so I'll start at 16 and continue through 18.
  "Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey," So in other words, what you serve is your master, and what you spend the most time doing  and thinking about the most is your god.
  "Whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness." (the penalty of sin is death and the reward for obedience is righteousness) This next part is another one I really like "But God be thanked, that ye were (used to, have been but are no longer) the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart, that form of doctrine which was delivered you." Can that be said of you? That you were the servant of sin, but now you have obeyed from the heart? Obeying from the heart-that got me to thinking. How many ways are there to obey? Offhand I could only think of two. From the heart and from the mind. What's the difference? Well I would say obeying from the heart is submission. It is giving up your will to someone in authority. Obeying from the mind is just compliance. Doing it just because you have to or maybe because it'll look bad if you don't. It is saying 'I reserve the right to fulfill my own will.' That is not submission. Its is not godly, so it is sin.      "Being then made free from sin, ye become the servants of righteousness."
Are you free? Just recently we began watching a series of sessions by John Regier about the 12 locked hearts. If you have never heard of him I would encourage you to look him up. Anyway because of watching those sessions that part about being free really stuck out to me.
  Back to are you free. Is your heart filled with joy and peace that God has saved you and allows only good things to happen in your life? Do you accept yourself physically how God has made you and praise Him for it. Do you continually look for and rebuke the lies that Satan and Self bring to you? If so, are you striving to help others to the same freedom Christ has given you?

 I know, I ask a lot of questions, but as Christians we should. We need to be continually evaluating where we are spiritually and striving to move on to a higher understanding of Him.

~God is stronger

  I was reading through some of Romans yesterday and I came upon something that really jumped out at me in chapter 6. (Verses 14-19 I think?)
   "For sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 
   What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
   Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteous?
   But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
   Being then made free from sin, ye have become the servants of righteousness." 

 The first part of verse 14 is what really caught my attention. "For sin shall NOT have dominion over you." Sometimes it feels like you just can't get it right. You do something wrong, get convicted, repent,...but then it happens all over again. What went wrong? It says right there sin shall not have dominion over you. 
 One aspect of the problem right there is, who are you relying on to not sin? If you, yourself are doing it, you will continually fail. We do not have the strength to overcome sin and Satan. Satan is much more powerful than us, but he is no match for God! When we determine to rely on Jesus and His power, we can and will conquer sin. God is all-powerful and all-knowing, and He wants us to conquer. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 
 Another thing is, did you genuinely repent? If you can repent and go on doing the same thing over again, then I would question whether you do.
  Repentance is being convicted of sin you have committed and being grieved because you hurt God in doing so. But it doesn't stop there. Repentance is an action, so there needs to be an outward showing of it-confessing it, asking for forgiveness, and then turning away from it. Others will be able to see if you have truly done it because it will show in your life. You will also despise that sin because you know that it hurts God and separates you from Him. (Because God can not look on sin.)

 I actually meant to go over more of that, but I think I'll stop here. I hope this has challenged you to look closely into your life and ask God what He thinks needs changed in you.