It’s Not All About You

It’s not all about you; this is such a hard truth to realize but such an important one. The truth is, in your relationship with God it is not about you. So often we are selfish in our faith and do things based off of what we can get out of it versus what it can do for the Kingdom. We try to bargain with God, but He really doesn’t need us, He chooses us. We like to give God some things and then keep some things to ourselves, but it doesn’t work that way. You can’t live your life for God while only giving Him part of you. You can’t give half of your heart to God and keep the rest for your own selfishness. A relationship with God is about selflessness and giving everything to God. If you are holding things back from God you are harming yourself more than helping yourself. The point of a relationship with God is trusting Him with everything, which means sacrificing the things you are holding on to and being 100% vulnerable with Him. The world tells us that it’s all about us and if that’s not okay with someone then they don’t deserve you, but honestly we don’t deserve God. Serving the world puts the focus all on you, but serving God takes the focus off of you because you don’t deserve it in the first place.
“Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.” Psalm 119:36

Me vs Me

I'm very excited about this blog because it says so much about me. It's allowing me to look back and compare who I am now to who I was. It gives me the chance to sit back and truly see the changes I've made and who I've become. This blog is more than a blog, in a way, it's my testimony now since I've grown so much.
The old me dated to avoid loneliness and didn't care who I was dating, me now dates the right person based off of what God says. The old me looked to everyone but God when I was lonely, the me now looks to God whenever loneliness begins to creep in. The old me looked to people for acceptance and approval, the me now looks to God for acceptance and approval. The old me went to people for comfort in the difficult times and the answers when I didn't have any, the me now goes to God first for answers and comfort. The old me had no confidence, no self-worth, and extremely low self-esteem because I was believing the lies of the enemy, the me now believes the truths of God and knows whose I am and that I am beautifully and wonderfully made. The old me was empty and tried to fill the void where God was supposed to be with everything else, the me now has filled that void with God and has been made complete because of it. The old me never believed in myself as being worth anything, the me now knows that I am worth more than enough. The old me was great surface level but a mess deep down, the me now has God both in my heart and on the surface.
I could go on and on with the differences between the old me and me now, but I've covered pretty much every area. The changes I've made and the life I live now make me so thankful that I finally stopped listening to everyone and everything else, and started listening to God. When you lay your life in His hands and give Him full control of everything, the changes will amaze you. God is so good and I'm so blessed to be a much better version of myself and the person God created.
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galatians 2:20

Facing Your Past

Facing your past is something you have to do because it is something you cannot hide from. Your past is your past and at some point you will have to face it. As nice as it would be to move past, forget about it, and live as though it never happened, you cannot. It is a very difficult thing to face but it is a very good growing experience. The growth you get from facing your old self as your new self and taking responsibility for something you never took responsibility for is growth like no other. You wanna talk about something that only God can get you through, facing your past and your past mistakes is definitely one of those things. Something I've learned recently is that the saying "Your past will come back to haunt you" is one of the most true statements. It does not matter what you did, how much you've changed, or how much you wish you could take it all back - you will have to face your past and the consequences of it at some point. The best thing you can do is know who you are and who God says you are. When the moment comes and you have to face your past, make sure that you are no longer what your past is; if you are still living like your past or acting like your past, facing your past does nothing. You have to be changed and see why the change you have now was so necessary. If you are changed and you are living that out daily and doing the most you can for your relationship with God, you have learned from your past and understand why the change was necessary. Your past is your past and you can't make it disappear, but you can show that you are different. Your past is your past, but your past is no longer who you are.

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
Ephesians 4:22-24