Dear Brothers and Sisters,
A few weeks back I heard this BOLD statement, "Love God and do anything you want to." I wrote it down in my journal and went on about my business. I got the point the pastor was making, so never really thought anything of it. Today as I was praying, I asked God "Please give me what you would have me share today." About a minute later I picked up my journal and opened to that page. I read this statement which was underlined and circled, and like a ton of bricks, it hit me.. Let me say this again, pay close attention.. LOVE GOD AND DO ANYTHING YOU WANT. This is not a free pass to sin, but a bold statement to NOT sin. You see, is it not true that if we sincerely LOVE God, with every ounce of our hearts, then what we WANT to do is to serve Him in any and all circumstances. If we are true to Him, and have an intimate relationship with Him, then we should be comfortable saying this, knowing that in our hearts we no longer WANT to do anything that is not for the Glory of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
the new has come; The old has gone, the new is here!" When we are saved in Christ Jesus we are new people. We are no longer the mold of a lifeless, spiritually starved individual. We find ourselves wanting, longing, and eager for the presence of God in our lives.
This statement hit me hard when I saw it today, because in my humanness, I have to remind myself that GOD has to be the center of it all. Because I am in love with God, I should desire nothing more in this life than to serve him. I have to remind myself that my WANTS need to be focused upward instead of on worldly desires. In my opinion, we should all have a love for Christ that is so strong that we could literally say this sentence to ourselves and not cringe at the thought of messing up by doing "anything we want." I am by no means trying to say that this is an easy process. As a 23 year old, I find myself very often swaying towards MY desires, I catch myself and have to redirect my thinking and actions. I feel as though if serving God were easy, my relationship with him would be stagnant and not so meaningful. It continues to be a process of surrender, so that someday I can do ANYTHING I WANT, knowing that it is for the Glory of Christ Jesus!!
As I listen to this song today, "Purify this tainted soul, I'm tired of living life a fool. Soften this hardened clay to be a servant this I pray, a reflection of you I long to be, so your kingdom I will seek. I surrender to your throne, I surrender to your throne. I will make my heart your home, I surrender to your throne," I find myself surrendering all over again, time and time again. I plead with God to purify me, to make me a strong Child of the King of Kings.
You see my friends, it is with surrender that we find comfort. And it is with an intimacy that we find the desires and passions to trade the worldly wants for the Godly wants. Where are you today, could somebody say to you today "Love God and do anything you want." It is a process my friend, it does not happen over night. It requires being broken and molded and made new. And even so, we still stumble at times. Are your desires focused upward, knowing that someday it's those desires that are going to take you to eternity with the Lord Almighty!!!
As I prepare to return to the States for a short period of time, I have begun to pray that God will give me a clear mind, to focus on His wants/desires for my life. And for forgiveness for following my own selfish desires at times! I pray the same for each of you!! I pray that in your busyness you take time to consult with God. That you dig deeply into his word, that you settle closely into his arms, so
you have a love so strong that you could do anything you want, knowing that it is going to be for the Glory of God!!
I look forward to seeing you all when I get home in less than 5 days! I am excited about taking part in WPA campmeeting and most importantly attending the wedding of my brother and his beautiful bride! While in the States I look forward to having the blessed opportunity to meet with some very special mentors! I know God is already directing my ministry for when I return to the Dominican and I look forward to sharing all that is taking place!
God Bless,
Jessica
A few weeks back I heard this BOLD statement, "Love God and do anything you want to." I wrote it down in my journal and went on about my business. I got the point the pastor was making, so never really thought anything of it. Today as I was praying, I asked God "Please give me what you would have me share today." About a minute later I picked up my journal and opened to that page. I read this statement which was underlined and circled, and like a ton of bricks, it hit me.. Let me say this again, pay close attention.. LOVE GOD AND DO ANYTHING YOU WANT. This is not a free pass to sin, but a bold statement to NOT sin. You see, is it not true that if we sincerely LOVE God, with every ounce of our hearts, then what we WANT to do is to serve Him in any and all circumstances. If we are true to Him, and have an intimate relationship with Him, then we should be comfortable saying this, knowing that in our hearts we no longer WANT to do anything that is not for the Glory of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
the new has come; The old has gone, the new is here!" When we are saved in Christ Jesus we are new people. We are no longer the mold of a lifeless, spiritually starved individual. We find ourselves wanting, longing, and eager for the presence of God in our lives.
This statement hit me hard when I saw it today, because in my humanness, I have to remind myself that GOD has to be the center of it all. Because I am in love with God, I should desire nothing more in this life than to serve him. I have to remind myself that my WANTS need to be focused upward instead of on worldly desires. In my opinion, we should all have a love for Christ that is so strong that we could literally say this sentence to ourselves and not cringe at the thought of messing up by doing "anything we want." I am by no means trying to say that this is an easy process. As a 23 year old, I find myself very often swaying towards MY desires, I catch myself and have to redirect my thinking and actions. I feel as though if serving God were easy, my relationship with him would be stagnant and not so meaningful. It continues to be a process of surrender, so that someday I can do ANYTHING I WANT, knowing that it is for the Glory of Christ Jesus!!
As I listen to this song today, "Purify this tainted soul, I'm tired of living life a fool. Soften this hardened clay to be a servant this I pray, a reflection of you I long to be, so your kingdom I will seek. I surrender to your throne, I surrender to your throne. I will make my heart your home, I surrender to your throne," I find myself surrendering all over again, time and time again. I plead with God to purify me, to make me a strong Child of the King of Kings.
You see my friends, it is with surrender that we find comfort. And it is with an intimacy that we find the desires and passions to trade the worldly wants for the Godly wants. Where are you today, could somebody say to you today "Love God and do anything you want." It is a process my friend, it does not happen over night. It requires being broken and molded and made new. And even so, we still stumble at times. Are your desires focused upward, knowing that someday it's those desires that are going to take you to eternity with the Lord Almighty!!!
As I prepare to return to the States for a short period of time, I have begun to pray that God will give me a clear mind, to focus on His wants/desires for my life. And for forgiveness for following my own selfish desires at times! I pray the same for each of you!! I pray that in your busyness you take time to consult with God. That you dig deeply into his word, that you settle closely into his arms, so
you have a love so strong that you could do anything you want, knowing that it is going to be for the Glory of God!!
I look forward to seeing you all when I get home in less than 5 days! I am excited about taking part in WPA campmeeting and most importantly attending the wedding of my brother and his beautiful bride! While in the States I look forward to having the blessed opportunity to meet with some very special mentors! I know God is already directing my ministry for when I return to the Dominican and I look forward to sharing all that is taking place!
God Bless,
Jessica