What is Your Heart Beating for?

This is a question that came to mind today as I was taking care of some things that needed to be done. Life is busy it's true but that doesn't change the fact that no matter what we are doing our heart is beating, both physically and metaphorically. I suppose another way to phrase it is what are living for? And how is that reflecting in your life?

2 Cor 2:14-17

In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse.

This is a terrific responsibility. Is anyone competent to take it on? No— but at least we don't take God's Word, water it down, and then take it to the streets to sell it cheap. We stand in Christ's presence when we speak; God looks us in the face. We get what we say straight from God and say it as honestly as we can.

This life that I'm living is not for religion, my heart has this amazing peace. I don't have to strive for intimacy with God, it's not something I have to stress out about. I don't have to live perfectly or clean up my act. I just have to stay in a place of constant communing and hunger. It's a deep groaning within each of us, a void that each of us tries to fill but nothing fills it like the love of God and all that comes with a relationship with a living breathing King. A God who once you have an experience with, you'll never be the same. When you live from a place of intimacy your life reflects it. His joy and peace will bubble out of you and you can't stop it. It makes you want to shout from the highest mountain top. I want everyone to experience this. You don't have to live in bondage. It's not about theological answers either. You don't have to have answers for everyone of life's questions. Just press in. When I'm stressed I turn on worship music, lately that has been Misty Edward's worship (I have about 5 hours of her music on my computer). Her music is full of life and it's all about the intimate place between God and man.

I was listening to a message by Bill Johnson this morning about our mandate here on earth. How the Bible tells us what the world we live in is like and than tells us what we are to do about it. It's powerful! In the message he talks about intercession being the greatest tool we have and as my previous post about standing in the gap talks about we need to walk in it. My life in Christ Jesus is the reason my heart beats, it's the reason why I'm living. As that passage in 2 Corinthians talks about my life omits a fragrance and those who are searching for something more in life will be drawn to your "smell" or the will be repulsed becuase of conviction but you job is to be a living letter of who Jesus is. What do you smell like today? Honestly my smell has been that great this week, I've been a little stressed out and overwhelmed with life. But today as I prayed about some situations that I ran into and ran my errands, I was infused with this new sense of purpose and began to open my eyes once again to what my relationship with Him grants me. It's not the reason I pursue Him. I pursue Him because it's what the deep places of me calls out for, it's what my heart longs for. And if He is all I ever have in this life I will be satisfied. He always provides and my heart beats because of Him. I refuse to pursue the endless cycles that this world tries to pull me into. It's ok to LIVE IN FREEDOM!!!!! I think that is the biggest thing I've been learning to combat, this sense that I have to be living in a constant struggle. The lie that I have to be in some kind of bondage for God to work on me. The lie that if I'm not stuggling with something, life isn't right. I can live without guilt. I can live free of the bondage of the world! That's what God has granted me as a lover of Him. I

I choose to be a passionate lover of a passionate God, wholeheartedly chasing after a God that isn't running for me, He embraces me and empowers me to pursue all that He has placed in me. And my heart is overflowing with His goodness, love and peace this day even though I'm tired, I don't have my homework done, my car has problems, I don't know what the future holds, some of my friends are in turmoil and injustice continues it's cycles. I am FREE and so are YOU. Let your heart beat today with God today. It's AMAZING and you will NEVER REGRET IT!!!
Shalom

Onward, Upward, Forward

My heart is singing... I just can't stop it and I definitely can't contain it. So many things have taken place that could only come together by God's hand. I really can't explain how amazing things are right now. So many things that I felt were coming last semester have come to fruition. I have connections and I have moved into leadershipish positions that I never dreamed of being capable of. God has really hedged before me as well as behind. The more I live the more I come to realize how much easier life is when I trust things to His capable hands. When my life is centered around His heart, I can not be swayed.

Not everything is perfect, not every situation is where I want it to be. I don't know all the answers. What's around the corner? Your guess is as good as mine. I do know that it will be great and I will grow and that God is good.

My heart is so full, I can't get it all typed.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My heart awakens, set me ablaze, let me burn with passion, I will run my race, I set my gaze on the one who won't let go.

Do You Ever?

Do you ever just want to shout from the rooftops?! I do!!!
Do ever want to dance and jump until you have nothing left?! I do!!!
Do you ever want to fall on your face before God and cry your eyes out?! I do!!!!

I can't really explain how I'm feeling right now. Other than I'm free!!!!!! Life is soo worth living to it's fullest with a relationship with our Heavenly Father! He is sooo Good! He NEVER fails.

I have been making big decisions and I won't go into too much detail, but I will say this I am so full of joy and anticipation that I can not contain it. I just can hardly wait to see what God has in store. I'm stepping out in faith and believing for doors to open. I knew big things were coming when I made the decision to move where I'm at. I can't say that things happened exactly like I thought they would, but I have no regrets.

After my small group tonight, I dropped some of the girls off and all the way home songs singing of God's goodness were on the radio and how you can't help but tell the world. Well people that's what I'm doing! God has taken me places and put me in positions that I never dreamed of. And it's stretching me and it kinda scares me, but I'm loving every minute. That doesn't mean I don't have doubts or struggles. It just means that no matter what circumstances come I will not be moved because I have confidence in the God I serve. My heart is so full tonight and has been for the past 2 weeks or so.

I have the perfect illustration (I think), after church on Sunday I was standing with my front door open but the screen door was closed and the sun was shining in and it was so warm and it just wrapped me up in it's warmth and made me smile. I was wearing a black shirt so it was absorbing the sun as well. Than during worship at church on Sunday night I just got this picture of how it is when our heavenly father is smiling down on us and He wants to continuelly wrap His Love around us and it in that we get this warmth around us like a protective sheild against the cold (believe me it was really cold out that day) of daily life. And when we live in His Son we can continueally have a smile on our face. I want to live in the warmth of His love every day of my life. It's an amazing thing!

Music

I absolutely love music. In fact you might say I'm addicted, unfortunately I am not as addicted as I once was, but nonetheless... Since I was twelve I have slowly but surely been building my music collection. I have a vast array of styles. I also have quite a conglomeration of favorites. I don't just get into the music I also like to know a little of the background of the artists that I listen to. I find that I can relate and be touched by music more when I know that I can trust the "heart" of the music. I try to keep up to date on the Christian music scene. Every so often something comes up that just tears at my heart. I hate when that happens. It actually occurred just this evening when I went to www.jesusfreakhideout.com to see what was new. I have been looking forward to the return of an artist only to find out that that particular artist has an issue in their life. I'm not going to say exactly what the issue is, you can find out for yourself if you really want to. I just have a few thoughts. Do we ever truly know where music is coming from? What issues are effecting the artist? It's not anyone's place to judge anyone, but what do you do when issues arise and involve music that you love? You don't want to open doors to the enemy. Yet where is the line that says this is acceptable and that isn't? I'm not really sure. This isn't the first time I've had to do some serious thinking on issues and controversies that are running rampant in our society and it won't be the last.