“YOU EITHER TRUST GOD, OR YOU DON’T”

I was that person JP spoke of last Tuesday. The girl that wanted her MRS. degree just as much as my college degree. I guess growing up in the south has a lot to do with it, but I would say the bigger reason is that I was not focused on the Lord. I honestly thought that being married would “complete me” and somehow life would be so much grander. Instead of focusing on what went wrong with my marriage, I’d like to share how much sweeter life has been since I have been single and in relationship with the Lord.

I was always in long relationships growing up and right after my divorce I went into “dating mode” where I just went on dates to be dating. I remember my community group leader asking my thoughts on taking 6 months away from dating. I told her “NO WAY”, why in the world would I want to do that?! I had never been single. Why would I want to be now? About 6 months after that conversation with her I finally realized that I was basing my self-worth and happiness on what guys thought of me instead of who I am in Christ. With encouragement and help from friends here at the Porch I decided to step away from dating for 6 months.

Since I was no longer wasting time worrying about guys, I had way more time for God. During and since that time I’ve had the opportunity to do some of the most rewarding and fun things including: serving at the Porch, Launch Retreat, serving with Young Life, ushering/greeting on Sundays, joining a Bible study to deal with past issues I've chosen to ignore for a while and grow personally, and I am most excited about going to Brazil in a month for my first mission trip! I write all these things not to give you my resume, but to show you all the fun ways God can use you if you let him.

It was a little over a year after my divorce that I surrendered to the Lord, and finally trusted Him with my life. In the past year I have grown and enjoyed life more than I ever imagined possible. It is the best feeling in the world to know that I do not need a guy to fulfill me, and that if I trust God, he will use me in ways I never dreamed of. The Lord is faithful, He is trustworthy, and we are made complete in Him, not in anyone else…despite what Jerry Maguire says :)

If God’s desire is for me to be married again one day I want it to be on His time with a man that loves the Lord above all things, not because I am in such a hurry to feel love and wanted by a guy. And if God’s desire is for me not to marry again, then I can still smile knowing that I am loved and wanted by my Father in Heaven.

Why do you want to be in a relationship/married? Do you think you are dependent on others or the Lord? What could you be doing now, while you are single that may be more difficult to do once you are in a relationship or married? What’s keeping you from doing those things?

Below are a few verses from 1 Corinthians 7, but I encourage you all to go back through all of chapter 7.

1 Corinthians 7:32-35
I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

Praying for you all~

www.theporchdallas.com

God has Something Better for You.

“GOD HAS SOMETHING BETTER FOR YOU” when JP said that last Tuesday I wanted to yell AMEN so badly! Last week I share that I went through a divorce almost three years ago, but the worst part came immediately after when my life spun out of control. I tried to go to church, but as soon as the first song would start to play I could feel the tears coming so I’d leave. It became much easier to be around people that “just didn’t care”, than to deal with the pain I was feeling.

I started drinking “until I didn’t feel feelings” as we would say, which at the time was about 4 days out of the week. I’d drink at least one happy hour a week, for sure one weekend night, and always Sunday Funday (never church). There are many nights I drove home drunk, and some nights I honestly don’t remember. I said and did things I still wish I could take back, and spent more money than I'd like to think about. I surrounded myself with people that encouraged this behavior and routine. My "friends" and I thought we were so cool with our bottle service and our names on every list, even though the only people that REALLY viewed us that way were ourselves.

JP shared Galatians 5 and I encourage you all to read back through it. In verse 19 it uses the word debauchery, it reminded me during that time I had FB status updates and photo albums called “Drunken Debauchery”, and I remember thinking that was so funny and I was really "living the good life". I had no idea that the word was even used in the Bible. Read below…

Galatians 5: 19-21 says: The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and DEBAUCHERY; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; DRUNKENESS, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

I was living the "good life", but was NOT living the ABUNDANT LIFE here or going to inherit the KINGDOM OF GOD. The truth is I was hiding from a lot of pain, and I was causing myself more and more pain as time went on. Those friends didn’t want the best for me, they wanted me to help them “not feel feelings” too so that they wouldn’t feel guilty.

PRAISE GOD, the story doesn’t end there. I finally broke down and surrendered to Christ when I moved to Dallas and started coming to the Porch. I couldn’t do it anymore. I was completely broken and in desperate need of a savior…JESUS.

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on JESUS, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Since I have fixed my eyes on JESUS life has been incredible! Even when times are tough, or things don’t go quite as I had planned, like Todd said this weekend, I CAN SING! Now I like to “feel feelings” because now I feel the peace, love, hope, grace, and mercy that has come from a relationship with Jesus Christ, and NO ONE or ANYTHING can take that away from me. I have true friends that hold me accountable and TRULY want was best for me. Jesus has set me free!

What feelings do you hide from? What are you afraid of? What is keeping you from the, not just good, but ABUNDANT LIFE found in knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

Praying for you all~

www.theporchdallas.com