I am weak, but He is strong

God has taught me a lesson about this essential message this week. I was stressed out and nervous about college. I was working out too hard because I thought it would help me feel stronger and relieve stress. I thought I was relying on God to help me out of the slump, but it turns out, I wasn’t.

I was putting all the stress and nerves on myself, instead of giving it over to God. God specifically showed me that I was not relying on Him enough by making me physically weak. I had trouble walking, and running was definitely out of the question for a few days. One night, I physically and emotionally collapsed. It felt like all the weight of the world had come down on my shoulders, and I couldn’t get up.

I soon realized I needed to full heartedly give everything to God, and pronto. I realized that I am so weak. I want to feel strong, but I am not. I am weak. But guess what? He is strong. This verse from 1 Corinthians 1:25 explains just how strong God is:

“The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”

Just think about that verse. Not that God has any weakness at all, but if He did, His weakness would be stronger than anyone’s strength on Earth. Wow.

Another passage that I find interesting when it comes to our weaknesses and God’s almighty strength is from 2 Corinthians 12:8-10:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” 

Having weaknesses gives us the opportunity to lean on and trust in God even more. When I felt physically and emotionally weak, God taught me that He is being glorified through my weakness. Because at that moment, I finally relied on God and Him alone.

I think we all need to realize that being weak is NOT a bad thing. In fact, “when I am weak, then I am strong” because we are able to fully lean on God for everything.

Even though we don’t want to admit it, we are weak. It is tough realizing all of your weaknesses. But we need to believe and confess that we need help. We need God in our lives to guide us and to strengthen us. He is our One Strength, always.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help us to realize this essential message that we are weak, but you are strong. Our weak points give us the opportunity to glorify you. We thank you and praise you for being our One Strength, we will hold this close to our hearts every day. Amen.

Psalm 37:4-7

⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

This passage calls us to delight in the Lord. What is delighting in the Lord? To me, delighting in the Lord means making Him my everything, making Him number one in my life. It means to live your life for Him. When we delight in God in this way, we find our hearts to be changed.

This transformation, this changing of the heart, occurs when our selfish desires are thrown out the window and replaced with God’s desires. Our heart is rid of sinful wishes, and rather, filled with God. It is a pretty crazy transformation. For me, going from just “liking” God to “delighting” in God took more than a few days, it took months. I still have trouble delighting in God all the time. We are sinners and we still let our sinful and selfish desires get in the way of what God truly wants for us.

This passage also reminds me of this message: Each of us has been called to serve God in a unique way. The desires of your heart are not to be ignored. God will use your passions to turn your life into a masterpiece of serving Him.

In order to be shaped by God in this way, our delight must be first in the Lord. That should be our priority. “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

You must delight in the LORD first before you can have the desires God wants you to have. Once you delight in the Lord, you’re making him your desire. So what the Lord desires for you, you will also desire.

If you delight in God and you feel a strong tugging at your heart, it is probably the Holy Spirit leading you. It is God’s desire being pressed on your heart. Pay attention to this tugging, this calling. By listening, you are one step closer to the next phase of your life that God has chosen and planned for you.

Second, we must trust in Him. “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this.”

And this is more than just a simple trust. We are called to COMMIT our way to the Lord. This means making Him the only one you follow. Not following other people’s or even your plan for your life, but to commit to God’s plan and His plan alone.

If we do this…”He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.”

We shouldn’t be scared of giving our life to God, giving him the steering wheel for our life and letting Him take control. God reminds us that He will make His light shine through us while we live on earth, and that we will be rewarded in heaven.

God is the artist and we are the paint brushes. He will use us to create a perfect masterpiece. Through Him, you will create a perfect picture that God had planned from the very beginning.

Third, we must wait patiently for Him to act in our lives. “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.”

God has put a lot of things on my heart as ways I can serve Him in my life.

I want to work at a Christian summer camp and help little kids grow closer to God.

I want to leave everything behind and literally give an entire year just too solely serve God.

I want to work in nonprofit.

I want to do all of these “exotic” things to serve God. Even this summer, I began to get really anxious about starting school because I wanted to start serving God at college. But I need to wait patiently and focus on how I can serve God right now in my life, right this very moment. I need to wait patiently, and God will tell me when the moment is right to take up one of these opportunities.

This verse also reminds me to take time in my day to be still and listen to God, to escape from all the hustle and bustle in life and be in the presence of God. To be still.

The last part of verse 7 also has an essential message – “do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

It reminds us that people around us may be succeeding in various ways and we might get jealous. But God reminds us that all these worldly successes are not what He wants us to be focused on. God has planned many great successes for each of us to accomplish in our life.

Prayer:

Lord, you are our one strength, our number one. We want to live our lives for you. Help us to delight in you and commit to your plan for our lives. Remind us to be still every day, so we can be overwhelmed by your glorious presence. We love you, and we will forever serve you alone. Amen.

Nervous, Anxious, Stressed?

All of the above?

I am all of the above. For sure. I seem to be nervous about something new every day this week. A daily freak out I like to call it.

I am not going to see my best friend for another three months.

I won’t be able to see my family every night.

I am going to miss my little sister so much.

I will be leaving my home and moving to a whole new place.

Will school really be as hard as everyone says it is?

Will I be able to handle getting involved on campus on top of schoolwork?

Will I be able to make friends and fit in right away?

I feel like I have so much to get done before move-in, and not a lot of time.

This one is for all my fellow soon-to-be college freshman. As you can see, I am in the same boat as you. You are not alone in your fears and worries. Yes, I am mostly excited to be in college, but I am also nervous, anxious and stressed, especially as move-in day seems to be sneaking up on me so quickly.

I pulled some words of encouragement from scripture, and I hope at least one of these passages speak to you and make you feel less worried about college.

Make your worries and fear known to God, and He will protect you:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

If you seek him, God will release you from all your fears:

“I sought the LORD and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” – Psalm 34:4

Don’t rely on yourself, put it all on God:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:6-7

Trust God with your worries:

“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” – Psalm 62:8

Fill your heart and your mind with peacefulness:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27

Don’t worry about your future, God has got it:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

You can do it because you got God (my favorite one):

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

Also, during these times of worry and stress, remember to PRAY ALWAYS. God is always there to listen.

Prayer:

Lord, we praise you and we thank you for giving us the opportunity to go to college. As we begin this new adventure in our lives, we ask you to help us and guide us. We trust in you and your plans for us, and we lay down all of our worries and fears at your feet – “thy will be done.” Help us to grow closer to you these next four years, and to let your light shine through in everything we do and say.  In your name, Amen.

Tell Someone They Are Beautiful…

“in my eyes, other’s eyes, and most importantly, God’s eyes.”

Have you ever felt just plain out ugly?

Maybe it is a certain physical feature that you don’t like about yourself or a reoccurring, sinful habit that you just can’t seem to get rid of. Maybe you did something to hurt someone else and you just feel terrible and disgusting inside. You just feel ugly.

I have felt this many times. And even when people have told me – “Sarah, cut it out, you are so pretty” or “Sarah, you are wonderfully made and God has forgiven you of your sins” – I still have a hard time listening and believing them. My boyfriend will tell me I am beautiful, sometimes my best friend will randomly text me it too, and I still don’t believe it. Often times I shoot down the compliments and the truth.

This post is all about telling another person they are beautiful, because it is the truth. I pray that it encourages you to give someone this compliment and to even remind yourself that you are beautiful. I also pray that I am able to take my own advice when it comes to truly accepting compliments.

Telling someone they are beautiful is a two way street – giving the compliment, and the hardest part (for me at least), receiving the compliment.

Giving the compliment

"Hey, you are beautiful.” That sounds kind of weird doesn’t it? How exactly do you go about telling someone they are beautiful and why should you do it?

Well first off, telling someone they are “fearfully and wonderfully made” can take away the ugliness they feel inside. It can allow them to forget all the things they don’t like about themselves and help them remember that they are perfect in God’s eyes. It will make them feel good, and don’t you want to do that for someone?

And as far as going about telling someone they are beautiful, I say just go for it. There is no right way of going about it, just say it and if they need more explanation and still don’t understand what you are trying to say, show them some scripture and explain to them that we are beautiful because we are created by God and made in his likeness.

Psalms 139:14   I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Genesis 1:26 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.

1 Peter 3:4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Receiving the compliment

If someone says you are beautiful, don’t shove the compliment away. (This is the part where those of you that know me will be screaming “Sarah take you own advice!”)

So yes, I have to admit, I usually shove it away. I say “stop no I am not” or I will make up excuses to downgrade the compliment. But this is no good.

You have to accept the compliment because it is true. You are beautiful.

So accept it, say thank you, and maybe even return it. But for sure pass it on, because our world could always use more compliments going around.

God bless and you are all beautiful :)

Written by Sarah Hess

A Walk in a Christian Bookstore

Have you ever looked around in a Christian bookstore? Walked around and just listened to the music, scavenged through all the signs and little trinkets marked with Bible verses, glanced over all the books and their authors?

If you haven’t done this, DO IT. And if you have, KEEP doing it. Do it more often even! Even if you aren't looking to buy anything, just stop in and look around. You will find something way more important than something to buy.

In today’s blog, I am going to share with you my extraordinary experience in a Christian bookstore that happened just earlier today.

This afternoon, I was walking into a coffee shop to meet with a friend. As I was walking from my car to the coffee shop, I saw a bookstore not too far down the road and I thought “that looks interesting, maybe I will stop in there afterwards.” I really like bookstores and small town shops. I like looking around in them every chance I can get.

Well, after coffee, I went to Target instead. I guess I decided that I needed to do some shopping. After picking up a few things at Target and then walking back to my car, I was reminded that I wanted to stop in that bookstore that I saw walking into the coffee shop earlier. So I drove back, walked in the bookstore, and was pleasantly surprised when I found out that it was a Christian bookstore, my favorite!

As I started to look around, I found two items right away that I remembered that I wanted to get: a gift for my friend’s birthday and a cross necklace. But I later found much more than just these two purchases.

As I was continuing to walk around, the woman at the cash register came over and started to talk to me. We started a conversation about going off to college. Turns out that she graduated from the same college that I will be attending. She also told me about how she met her husband at college through getting involved with a Christian organization. I told her how my boyfriend and I want to get involved with a Christian organization together. She thought that was really cool.

After talking for a little bit, she went to go help another customer that just walked in, and I decided to go look at the shelf of Christian books. As I was looking, God put something on my heart. He wanted me to buy a book for my dad. So I asked the woman, who is actually the owner of the store, for suggestions. She talked me through all the books and when I told her that my dad likes history and war stories, she pulled out the perfect one to get for my dad.

As I proceeded to the cash register with my purchases, God was telling me to keep listening and talking to this woman, so I did. We talked about temptation in college, and she said something that really touched my heart –

“Sin is optional.”

We don’t always remember this. Sometimes the expectations of society make it seem like sin is something that just comes along with living in today’s world. But in the Bible it says to flee from temptation: 2 Timothy 2:22: “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

After paying for my purchases, the woman gave me a book to borrow and look at before I left. So I sat down on the couch in the store and started paging though the book, and then I decided to pull out my computer and start writing this. I feel very comfortable and welcome here, and it is a place I will definitely stop by again.

This is one of my many experiences at a Christian bookstore, and it has been my best one so far. I invite you to the next time you walk into a Christian bookstore, to take in all it has to offer. Don’t go in just to find something to buy, but go in and talk to the person at the cash register. Look at the books and their titles and seek out all the cute little trinkets that you can find. Find your favorite verse. Feel the calming sense of peace and welcoming.

I learned from this experience to listen to God and do what He is telling me to do. Even if it is just walking into a bookstore, or maybe even just sitting down and talking to a friend or sibling. If He is calling you to do it, then do it! No questions asked. Also, if there is something very powerful tugging at your heart, it is probably from God. The tugging on my heart to start this blog was from God!

If I didn't listen to God, I probably wouldn't have gone in the bookstore, bought the 

book for my dad, or met the woman who owned the store. I am so very glad that God led me to this place on this beautiful Thursday afternoon.

“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.”

John 10:27-28

Listen to God and what He is putting on your heart. You are His and nobody can take that away from you.

The Power of Words  

How do you show others that you are a Christ follower, a Christian that is living your life for God?

Through words and actions! Actions are extremely important when it comes to displaying your faith to others, but for right now, I am just going to focus on the power of words.

As a Christian, I desire to stick out from the secular world. I want to radiate God and for others to see me and say “there is something different about her.” I can do this through the words I say. I am not just talking about not swearing because that isn’t all that hard to do if you set your mind to it. I am talking about just the day to day comments that come out of your mouth that aren’t building yourself or others up. Words and phrases that maybe blend in with the crowd, but don’t make you stand out as a Christian and as a God follower.

I get it, calling your sister names or talking back to your parents is hard to avoid when you are in the heat of the moment. I also often find myself going along with and joining in on un-Godly conversations with a group of friends, not even realizing the comments coming out of my mouth. Life gives us plenty of opportunities to use words that don’t point to God.

In the song titled “Words” by Hawk Nelson he exclaims:

Let my words be life

Let my words be truth

I don’t want to say a word

Unless it points the world back to You

These lyrics motivate me to make every word coming out of my mouth praise and worship to Christ. They should motivate us to use our words to help and encourage others, not to hurt them, only to bringing ourselves up.

I challenge you, with God’s help, to make every word that comes out of your mouth point to God. To not blend in with the secular world, but to make your words noticeably different.

A little hesitant on how to make your words display God? Reflect on these two verses of God’s teachings for encouragement:

Colossians 4:6

“Let the words you speak be full of grace. Learn how to make your words what people want to hear. Then you will know how to answer everyone.”

Ephesians 4:29

“Don’t let any evil talk come out of your mouths. Say only what will help to build others up and meet their needs. Then what you say will help those who listen.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help us to make the words we say be songs of praise and worship to you. Help us to use our words to build others up, not to knock them down. We adore you and we love you, forever and ever. Amen.

One Strength: The Inspiration behind the Title

Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

“There is no way I will be able to pass this final exam.”

“I don’t think I can get through a full day of work today.”

“I have so much to do, and so little time.”

“I don’t have the will and the patience to deal with this right now.”

“I am not strong enough to stand up to them.”

“I am too afraid to share and defend my faith.”

“This is too much for me to handle.”

I am sure all of you have told yourself something along these lines multiple times in your lifetime, I know I have. Situations in life can sometimes knock you down, and allow your strength, power, and confidence to dwindle.

But just when you think you can’t get back up again, God is right there saying: “Yes you can, because you got me.” During rough times, times when you feel you are lacking the strength to just get through the day, or even do what is right, we need to remember who is our ultimate strength; God. God is our One Strength.  

Prayer:

God, help us cherish the words of Philippians 4:13 and to always remember that you are our One Strength. Help us to rely on you alone each and every day. We worship you, we praise you, and we love you, forever and ever. Amen.