THE HEART OF THE MATTER

When I first felt led to teach about purity and had a longing to share my message with my daughters, I felt the Lord whispered a very important message to me. You see, I asked Him HOW I could reach young teens with this message and He impressed upon me that I needed to reach their hearts. I had no idea how I was to do that but I knew it would require me to be completely transparent about my past. This was uncharacteristic of most people, but most especially Christians. To put it bluntly - I was to "air my dirty laundry" for all to see. A scary prospect for one who found out very early on in my Christian walk (at the age of 28) that sadly, many Christians seemed to kick each other when they were down. But this is where my purity pursuit began.

As I dug deeper I realized that there's more to purity than just saying NO to sex. There were deeper implications that not only was it a physical issue but it was a heart and a head issue as well. Our minds are powerful motivators controlling our actions in ways we would never imagine and allowing the things around us to influence us deeply. This was about the time I discovered the "WHATEVER" verse.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Philippians 4:8

I looked at those words "true...honorable...right...pure...lovely...repute (aka reputation)...excellence...worthy of praise" and then at the instruction in the verse, "DWELL on these things." Dwell, think about, ponder. I began to consider what I was "pondering or dwelling" on. I love to read but everything I read was a love story where there was a dashing debonair man who did and said all the right things. He was romantic, he sounded dreamy and he knew and anticipated every need of the woman in the book. Those stories would play in my mind and cause my heart to be discontent when my husband didn't act like the guys I read about. So what about single girls waiting for "Mr Right"? If they read these books they have no idea that men don't measure up to these figments of our imaginations! That's where the reality of the heart came out clearly for me. The heart can be exceedingly wicked and deceitful. We are man, not God. We are not perfect, we are not sinless. I'm not trying to heap guilt on anyone here, I just want us to be careful what we read, what movies and tv shows we watch and how we let them affect us. Keep it real ladies! It's SO important. Keep your heart pure by pouring into it the things of God. Build each other up. Encourage one another. Remind each other on a regular basis that purity is a Holy pursuit. It is the transforming of our minds and hearts and not just saying NO to sex before marriage.

And just so you know...we all make mistakes. I'm not here to condemn anyone if they've been involved physically or emotionally. Believe me, I've been there, done that. I'm here to tell you there is a better way and you can achieve it even if you've done things you regret. I have some exciting news for anyone who feels guilt ridden or judged by other Christians in the area of purity. God is a forgiving God. His mercies are new EVERY morning!

So, I challenge you to take some time to evaluate your life. What do you spend most of your time doing? Facebook? Pinterest? What books are you into? Twilight? Hunger Games? When's the last time you opened your Bible and poured over it with as much passion as you would your favorite video game or texting some guy? Ask God to help you see if these things are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, excellent, worthy of praise - put all of it to the Philippians 4:8 test and see where it comes out. Then, take action and start transforming your heart and mind for Christ. Because what's in the heart pours forth into our every day lives and that's really the HEART OF THE MATTER!

KEEPING IT RELEVANT

I've been praying about where to start with this blog. I have so many things I want to share but I am having a difficult time breaking things down into bite-size blogs. 

Are there any topics you all would like to have me hit on right now? Things that may be going on in your lives that you would like me to talk/blog about? 

I look forward to hearing from you!

Yuki

PRACTICE vs. HABIT

I believe as Christians we are constantly at risk of becoming complacent. Just as many churches perform liturgies - there comes a point where what they do and say is habitual and a person no longer thinks about what they're saying but rather they are going through the motions. Even in life where we have routines, once again, we come to a place of just going through the motions.

In the pursuit of purity, sanctification, devotion to God - all of these things - we must strive to be intentional about our pursuits. A life of purity doesn't just happen. Sanctification means to be "set apart". In life it's natural to be more about fitting in or blending in. Nobody wants to stand out or be set apart. But this is what God has called us to.

12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. (Titus 2:12-14 NLT)

"...for you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. God's very own possession. As a result you can show others the goodness of God for he called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)

So what's the difference between a HABIT and PRACTICE? Well, let's look at the definitions first.

HABIT: an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. 2. customary practice or use. 3. a particular practice, custom, or usage. 4. a dominant or regular disposition or tendency; prevailing character or quality. 5. an addiction.

PRACTICE: habitual or customary performance; operation. 2. habit; custom. 3. repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency. 4. condition arrived at by experience or exercise. 5. the action or process of performing or doing something.

As shown above habit and practice can be somewhat interchangeable. However, I believe there are some distinguishing factors where both are concerned. For one, a habit becomes almost involuntary. I used to think this was a good thing, but lately God has convicted me in this. You see, it's a habit for our family to pray before our meals but growing up we always said the same prayer every time. Well, we would just recite it and I never took the time to even think about the words or remember that its GOD we were thanking for the food and not just something we were saying. When this becomes a dominant or regular disposition then we become stuck in going through the motions never realizing we have become sucked into this habit.

As you can see with practice there is the possibility of something becoming habitual, but there is a distinct difference here, when practicing there's systematic exercise in order to acquire a skill or to become proficient at something. The practice is the condition arrived at by experience or exercise. The thing about experiences is that they teach us deep truths and sanctify us. Exercise is something a person has to do intentionally. When a person exercises their body they are intentionally trying to develop their muscles and train them. It is a disciplined action. When you practice something, you are being intentional, you are focused. When you are doing something out of habit you are not focused, you are, once again, "going through the motions."

28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29 NIV)

May you practice the presence of God in your life, may you be sanctified in Him and may you worship Him acceptably with reverence and awe!

Sanctification Begins...

Eighteen years ago today I embarked on the most amazing journey life could ever hold. On this day I discovered there was a better way to live life rather than “on my own”. I was not a nice person. I lied, cheated, stole, tore others down to build myself up. I was climbing the corporate ladder and didn’t care that I was sacrificing my family in the process. At that time I had been married 5 years to a wonderful and incredibly patient and understanding man. I was the mother of three beautiful girls ages 8, 2 and 9 months. But I didn’t see how much they needed or wanted me to be a wife and mother. I was completely self-consumed. When I look back at the path I was on, I shudder to think where I would be today. My life would be very different today were it not for His saving grace!

I’m not perfect by any means, but I firmly believe that my life has been greatly enriched and beautifully blessed because 18 years ago I began walking this journey of life hand-in-hand with my two best friends – Jesus and Daryl. From the moment I opened my heart to Him I clung to this verse: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. I like the New Living Translation of this verse: “At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, an new life has begun!” (vv. 16-17)

I had made a lot of mistakes in my “old life” and I have made many mistakes since, but somehow He has taken my shortcomings and transformed them into beautiful disasters.

Ephesians sums up my life perfectly:

“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin just like the rest of the world obeying the devil – the commander of the powers of the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved! God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature created to be like God – truly righteous and holy.  So stop telling lies…tell the truth…don’t sin by letting anger control you…if you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead use your hands for good hard work, and give generously…don’t use foul or abusive language, let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember HE HAS IDENTIFIED YOU AS HIS OWN, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:21-31)

I was all the things referenced above. I was consumed by the things of this world and it filled my heart, mind, and actions. Thankfully God saw fit to turn those things around. He literally cleaned house and started fresh. Unfortunately I wasn’t always open to the house cleaning He was doing and it has taken a great number of years to get where I am today. I am fully aware of the fact that I will not be perfected in Christ until I am in His presence. That my willful spirit and blatant disobedience will be a constant challenge and tempt me to do things I know I shouldn’t do. I accept this about myself but I don’t live content in it. I am constantly striving to be more like Christ every day. It is a moment-by-moment decision I choose to make. I desire to “imitate God in everything [I] do.” I desire to “live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.” I try to remember to be thankful and live in the light of His love. I pray that “this light within [me] produces only what is good and right and true.”

It’s been a fantastic journey so far. I am extremely blessed to have a Godly husband and a beautiful family. J I glory in the knowledge that with each rising sun I have another day to live for Him.