consume me.

My life is not perfect whatsoever. I have been reminded lately how sinful and imperfect I am. I have had different experiences happen in my life where I realized that I obsess and get upset over the most ridiculously minute things. It's pointless. Why do I make school my life? Why do I care so much about certain friendships?

I look at these things and realize that instead of making God my number one, I make the things that don't matter my number one. Why? Why do I idolize stupid things like grades? Where will that get me in the long run?

The act of idolizing certain things has really been brought to my attention over the last few days. I have realized that being here in college has started to make me to begin obsessing over petty things like a homework assignment, or getting worked up over a test. In reality, I should remember that God works for the good of those who make Him number one in their lives.

I need to remember to make God my all. Lord, I ask that you consume me. Become my life! Nothing else matters. As I strive to become more like you, I should know that you have got my back. You have a plan for me. Although grades seem important, it is because the world perceives them to be that way. I need to remember to not live a worldly life, looking no different that any nonbeliever. You must be my everything. Every situation in my life is covered by Your hand and has a purpose. Let me remember this when I don't make the grade I wish I had on a test. God you are good, and You will do good in my life if I always set my eyes on You.

This lesson I have learned relates perfectly to the verse I memorized last week. God knew then that I would need this encouragement today and every day. Thank you God for preplanning my life and working constantly to build me up. I will leave you with the verse, so that if you are ever in the situation I am in today, you will remember to set your eyes on the goodness of God, and He will consume your thoughts. Consume you emotions. Consume your life.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

-Philippians 4:8

Essentials

This weekend has been such an amazing reminder for me. I heard some really great insight that spoke right into me and my spiritual walk. So often, I feel like we forget the most important and obvious things, so I decided to write this and remind each and every one of you some of the basics.

1. The Spirit is working in us.

We must remember this as we live our day to day lives. Although we wake up in the morning as "Christians", we don't wake up on default to think about the Spirit being alive in us. Every morning, our first instinct is to wake up with our default setting as living in the flesh. This is key for us to remember in our day to day lives. We need to remember that we cannot live in the flesh each day and believe that we will live out a fully pleasing day to the best of our abilities in glorifying God. This leads me to my next point.

2. We must always be in prayer. 

Being prayerful is such an importance in our lives. It is not just a task we do, but it is a part of our lives. Prayer is what keeps us alive spiritually and in constant communication with our Creator. The only way we can wake up in the morning and change our default from the flesh to the Spirit is by praying and filling our thoughts with those of Godly things. The Lord wants to hear from us often, and we must remember that He is the only one we truly need. When we are sad or lonely, and feel like we have no one to talk to or rely on, we MUST remember that the Lord is for us and will always be there for us to turn to. Which leads to my last point.

3. We must be in His Word.

So often times, I believe we think that being prayerful is enough. In reality, that is not the truth. Being in the Word is essential for our walks with the Lord. This is the way we connect with Him and get to know Him better. For me it is so easy for me to believe that being in the Word isn't as important as other things in my life, so I should just save it for another time. This is NOT the truth though! God should always come first. When we spend time in his Word, as opposed to homework or at meetings, that is when God sees our full commitment in Him, and he will reward us for that. So I encourage us to constantly remember that being in His Word isn't just reading a book, but building a relationship with the only one who truly matters in our every day lives.

Now I know that all of these are simple things that each one of us know we SHOULD do, but how often do we actually put these in to practice each and every day? I know that I do not live these essentials out to the best of my abilities, and I can definitely use them to play out a huge role in my life. I pray that it would be the desire of our hearts to want the Spirit to be working in our lives constantly, be in continuous prayer and conversation with our Lord, and to dig into His Word and get to know and understand our God better.

God is good, and we must see this and remember it each and every day. These key points will help us to remember the magnificence that is His.