Faith That Stops At The Doorway

Preparation for church is undergo. We dress in our best clothing and try to appear 'put together'. Upon arrival, we praise God for His blessings in our lives, and ask each other if they need prayers.

Have you ever seen this? Within the church you hear constant glorification of Yahweh, but when you leave it seems the disguises of many come off. It's as though they strip off the garments of 'His Will' and go back to their comfortable 'My Will' sweatpants! Don't get me wrong, been there-done that. I am still guilty of this. But as my fingers click on my keypad, I feel God calling me to speak about this issue.

Who decided that faith was only necessary in church? When Jesus (His Hebrew name, Yeshua) lived on this earth with us, did He only praise God's name in the temple? No! His whole life was based on His faith, and His actions that strove to prove it. James 1:22 says "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves". We are called to do more than just hear God's word, we are called to LIVE it. How do you become doers of the word, you ask? Well! Just a few verses down, James talks about having faith in works (doing good towards those who have nothing). James talks about prayer for someone in need being no good when actions could have been given to aid them (Read James 2:14-17).

For a long time, I thought I could live the way I wanted to, and also keep a good relationship with God.
I realized after sin started running my life, that no, you cannot have both your will AND God's will. So please, let God be a part of EVERY part of your life. Do not limit your relationship with Him to just Church. Live your life the way Yeshua taught and asked us to live it. When you see a person experiencing homelessness or someone struggling, don't just pass by. Reach out.
"For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."-James 2:26

Amen

The Idea Behind Soul Expression

This blog is to be used for my prayers. It will be a place of chaos and personal issues. But through this chaos, peace will be obtained.

"For I know the plans I have for you, Declares the LORD, Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope " -Jeremiah 29:11

Although our Lord knows our plans of good and of hope, we sometimes feel lost, unwanted, and hopeless. However these things can be fixed through understanding. Please feel free to post questions or prayer requests, and I will do my best to help and bring clarity. 

So let this blog be a placed where understanding can be found. Let it be someone you can go to for advice or confide in. Let it be a place where you can learn from my mistakes, and gain a further love for our King and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

If you have a topic you want me to write about, please send me a request at: prayersforthought.request@gmail.com 

Amen

Get Behind Me Satan!

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when your thoughts were not your own? I have experienced this recently. I have struggled for a long time with self-esteem issues, and slowly it crept its way into every corner of my life and every decision I made.

Growing up, I wasn’t a huge fan of the body God gave me. I was constantly comparing myself to other girls around me. I allowed Satan to speak into my mind and whisper these words of destruction for YEARS! Not only did he speak into my thoughts, but he used people in my life to try and bring me down. There was this boy I “dated” when I was quite young and he would ask me how much I weighed and comment on the amount of food I would eat at lunch. With those destructive words, I began to eat less and less, and hated myself more. Lucky for me, I got out of that relationship and learnt from my mistakes – never change for a man! At least I thought I had learnt…

You see, four years down the road these thoughts came back into my head stronger than ever before. They told me I was fat and that I weighed too much and that I would never fit into my bridesmaid dress for my friend’s wedding. These thoughts made me hate myself again. So I began to drift away from God. I lost my hunger for food, and began to skip meals. I was eaten up with guilt and disgust anytime I ate, and had to stop myself numerous times from making myself vomit. But I didn’t think I had a problem, I thought I was ”fine” and “in control”. The only thing that kept me going was the idea of losing weight and FINALLY being “beautiful”.

But let me tell you this; The whispers of Satan will ruin your relationship with Christ, if you continue to listen to them. They will be tainted and you will no longer see the glory and God’s word. I started avoiding God (as much as I could). I stopped reading the bible, I stopped praying, and I stopped going to bible studies with close friends. I was in my own bubble of misery, and I was locking myself into an emotional hell.

It wasn’t until a guidance counsellor came to my class and talked about eating disorders did I realize I ‘fit the eating disorder bill’. I was embarrassed by my failures and by my weakness, and secretly met with the counsellor to ask for help. She comforted me with words that God MUST have placed in her mouth, because they went straight into my heart, and gave me the courage to get up again. I told my family about my eating disorder as well as some close friends of mine. None of them judged me or were angry, all they had for me was compassion. My real battle was with myself and Satan.

As I fought in the everyday battle to provide my body with the food it so desperately desired, I also fought the mental battle against the negative words swirling in my brain. While I fought this battle, the words of Jesus echoed in my head; “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men”- Matthew 16:23

Those words pushed me forward (although slightly out of context). Jesus had control over the demons within the possessed and was able to say no to Satan’s temptations. So my realization was, if Jesus lives within us, then He will wipe the devil away and regain our hearts if we call on Him.

So please, let the words I have written have meaning to you in your life. Do not listen to those whispers. Do not let media’s view of beauty change your view on yourself. 1 Peters 3:3-4 says “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious”. Let everything we do be to please God. Do not hurt your body for worldly admirations, but LOVE your body the way it has been created for Christ, the prince of peace’s, admirations.

God Bless

Amen.