Feeding your desires?

Desire: a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen - New Oxford American Dictionary

I’ve mentioned how desires of the flesh can send you down the wrong path, how they can form into full blown lifestyles, and how these desires can ultimately destroy you.

But what about good desires? Are desires always bad? My goodness, no! A desire to do good is the only thing that will change you and allow you to grow in Christ. We must have a desire for Christ. We must have a desire to change for Him.

In fact, the transformation toward being more like Christ can only begin with a desire. The only way we can ever change our ways is to actually desire change within ourselves. Change from the evil that plagues us day to day. Change from our wicked thoughts. Change from our selfish desires.

Daily, we are going to experience:

Good desires vs. bad desires. 

Desires of the Spirit vs. desires of the flesh. 

The key is to giving in to the right desires.

Inside every single one of us, there is a desire to do bad, but there is also a desire to do good. All of us are born into sin, thus we all have the natural inclination to desire things of the flesh. As a baby cries for milk, our flesh cries for food. The flesh is fed by worldliness, sin, carnality. We feed our fleshly desires by choosing things that are directly opposed to God, by choosing things that are in accordance with the world.

But we are also made in the likeness of Christ. 

Genesis 1:26a - Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them.

Therefore there is a giant part of us that craves, that desires to do what is right! God has revealed himself to us through His divine creation and through His word. Our Spirit inside of us longs for Christ and His desires. It too desires to be fed. Reading God’s Word, spending time with Him in prayer, and fellowshipping with fellow believers are good ways to feed the Spirit within us. 

The question stands then: which desire are you going to feed? The desire of your flesh, or the desire of Christ?

It is each and every individuals own decision. No one can force anyone to choose, for it will not result in true desire. Look closely at the definition of desire: a strong feeling of wanting to have something. The definition doesn’t read, “A strong feeling forced upon us by someone else.” No, your desires are born within. It lies with you to decide which to feed. 

So desires of the flesh, or desires of the Spirt?

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  - Galatians 5:16

The two cannot live in harmony, for they are morally opposed to one another. 

Whichever one you choose to feed will affect your life. It affects your heart’s desires, your thoughts, your speech, your actions. Whatever you feed is what is going to grow within you. Which desire are you going to go with? It’s your choice, and your choice alone.

Flesh or Spirit?

The world or Christ?

Yourself or others?

Ungodliness or Godliness?

Impurity or Purity?

Jealousy or Contentment?

It’s feeding time...

1 John 2:16-17

For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions - is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

What is the value of a lady?

Have you ever thought about this?
As a lady, you are a valuable being. You are a treasure, a flower, a gem, precious in her own right. You are  known as the beautiful, dainty, charming, pretty, fierce, lovely sex. Of the two sexes, we are the ones that were created to complete the other. Our role on the earth is irreplaceable. We are the bearer of life, for it is only through us that children can be born. Any male can father a child, but a mother is the one who must carry and bring forth this life into the world. Think about how valuable that makes us. Men have conquered the world, in the name of a woman, for the love of a woman, for the prize of a woman. We are treasures that true men will vie for, live for, die for.

So why is it that we give ourselves so little value? We devalue ourselves by giving away our heart, our minds, our bodies so easily. Our hearts are almost like items up for sale at the market, and we eagerly give them to the first man that makes an offer. A dollar? a dinner? a ticket to the movies? Is that all we are worth? Is that what our pattering hearts are worth?

No, no, my dear ladies, we are worth so much more than these things. We are so much more valuable. First and foremost, we are valuable to our creator and king, our Lord Jesus Christ.  He loved you so much, He gave His life for you. That's how much you are worth to Him.

As ladies, we must respect the value within us. After all, we are the ones who set the standards of how people treat us. How we carry ourselves and treat ourselves is how other people are going to treat us. Do you hold yourself with confidence and dignity and respect?
Then other people are going to respect you.
Jesus Christ holds your eternal value, but we set our value base for ourselves.
How much do you value yourself? Remember that you are a sacred, valuable daughter of a King.

Jeremiah 31:3b - I have loved you with an everlasting love

ONE, says the mind, two says the flesh, forever says the devil. Never says Jesus Christ!!

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot. - Romans 8:6-7

Reading those words, sends shivers down my back. Read them again, and think about every word. To set the mind on the flesh is death! Think about those words. What is the apostle Paul talking about, the flesh? Is he talking about our actual skin, muscle, fat combination? Is he talking about what we can pinch with our fingers? Well, sort of, but this is only the beginning. What you can pinch is only the shell of the flesh. The flesh is a roaring beast within us. It is a collective term for our desires, our nature, our will. We are born with an appetite for sin, a nature bent on destruction, and a will to do evil.

You are thinking...seriously I'm fine...I don't struggle with the flesh. I am in complete control of myself.

According to Galatians 5:19-21, these are the works of the flesh:

Sexual Immorality

Impurity

Sensuality

Idolatry

Sorcery

Enmity

Strife

Jealousy

Fits of anger

Rivalries

Dissensions

Divisions

Envy

Drunkenness

Orgies and things like these...

Do any of those sound familiar to you? Do you struggle with any of these?

The flesh is more powerful than we give credit. We always tell ourselves and others that we have control, but oh are we wrong. The flesh has a mind of it's own. How many times have we perhaps said something, we really shouldn't have said? Or drank more than we were supposed to drink? Or kissed someone we really shouldn't have kissed? Done something, we really shouldn't have done? Where is the control then?

The biggest lie that the flesh sells to us is that we are in control of it. Satan wants us to believe a lie that we can do as we please up to a point. Satan wants us to think we have control: I'll only have the one drink, I'll only have sex this once, I'll only yell this once, I'll only lie this once, I'll only fantasize this once, I'll only try drugs just this once...JUST THIS ONCE!

Ask the alcoholic about his one drink, or the drug addict about his first hit, or the porn addict about his first magazine. Ask the teenager who is pregnant about the first time she had sex. It was just that one time. Ask the girl at 29 who has had 30 sexual partners and who is now suffering from an STD about her first sexual experience.

It was just the one. It was only ever suppose to be one...

The flesh convinced them that the one time was ok...the one wouldn't hurt them.

One second everything was under control, you were just hanging with your friends and the next minute, everything seems to have gone completely wrong. One minute, it was just a thought in your mind, and the next second it is a complete addiction, you can't get rid of.

But there is hope! Great, beautiful, wonderful hope! And, it too starts in the mind. If we set our mind on the flesh, it is our death. Paul himself says it in the book of Romans. The only sure way to battle the flesh is through Jesus Christ and focusing on minds on Him. We must set our mind on His Spirit, His love, His grace, His purity, His mercy.

We cannot fight the flesh alone. The battle of the flesh can only be won through Jesus Christ by setting our minds on Him!

The next time a desire of the flesh begins stirring in your mind, give it to Christ. Focus on His word, his truth, his love, and through Him every single battle can be won. Through Him is life and peace.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

What does it mean to be a STRONG Lady?

 Women are universally known as the weaker gender. Physically, it’s evident. In general, we are shorter, smaller, and usually slower than men. However, it is no weak thing to be lady. Women, ladies especially, are strong creatures. In fact, we must be strong, for weak ladies will not survive in this world. They aren’t known as ladies. They are the other type of girl...

     It takes a great amount of strength for a lady to stand up for what she believes in. Do you have good morals? Good! Keep them! But don’t ever think they won’t be challenged. For the rest of your life, other people will try to tear you down either out of jealousy, hatred, or strife. Malignant people hate to see other people succeed, especially good strong ladies. Girls that have standards lower than yours will always try to lower you to theirs, for they feel incompetent next to you. Ladies with high morals are set on pedestals. The girls standing underneath are forever trying to tear that pedestal down! Am I advocating that you ladies are better than the girls beneath? Absolutely not! For we are all sinners saved by God’s overwhelming grace, and by that grace we have thus  been presented with a choice. It takes great strength to choose to be a lady, and take the ridicule that goes along with being one. 

     Applied strength is required to go against the “grain” of the world. In a recent poll, I asked people of all ages if they could think of one celebrity that they would say was a lady. Surprise, surprise: almost everyone said something along the lines of: not really, I don’t think so.  Now isn’t it sad then that most of today’s young girls are fashioning themselves after celebrities! The system is so messed up. Think about famous women like Madonna, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Kate Hudson, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Lauren Conrad, Lady Gaga herself (how she thinks she can choose Lady as her title is beyond me) - all of these women are influencing the way girls think, dress, dance, eat, shop, date, sing, write, you name it and they influence it. These women date one man after another, or date both men and women (that’s another lecture all in itself), they dress with almost all of their body showing, they sing suggestive songs, make sex tapes, diet to the point of producing low self-esteem in every girl under the age of twenty, and make the party life look glamorous. It’s no easy thing to go against what’s shoved in our face in the media everyday. It’s hard not to wear mini skirts, mini shorts, and mini dresses when Elle Magazine names them the most fashionable items of 2009, and every celebrity is wearing them on every cover of every magazine! Young girls think: I want to look like them!! Celebrities have glamorized every aspect of our lives. It’s cool to have threesomes now, it’s great to have both male and female lovers. It’s ok to have an affair with a married person. It’s ok to diet 24/7. It’s ok to skimp o clothing. It’s ok to not wear underwear! Umm no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no and let me repeat NO! None of this is ok. None of it is of God. None of it is the behavior of a lady, and none of these actions are respected. Only strong ladies can go against the ways of the world and not fall victim to life’s snares. It’s takes amazing strength to not be enticed by the world. Remember no one considers these celebrities ladies.

     We face battles everyday, and it is no easy task, but with His strength and guidance we can choose to be strong ladies in Christ. It is through this strength that we can win these battles. We can sit and listen all we want, but listening takes no strength. The strength comes in doing. 

     But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a [wo]man who looks intently at [her] natural face in a mirror. For [she] looks at [herself]  and goes away and at once forgets what [she]  is like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts [she] will be blessed in [her] doing. - James 1:22-25 

Don’t read these things and forget. Take the courage. Be a strong lady!

     

I asked; You told

Recently, I sent out surveys or shoved them in your face when I ran into you. (Sorry, but things must be done!)

Want to see some of the results?
I'm not going to sit here and type every response I received, but I will list the top answers.
This is part one which list the first four answers

First word that comes to mind when you guys think of a lady?
1. Respect - this was the answer I received the most. Men and women both agreed respect is the one word that is synonymous with a lady.
2. Classy
3. Sophisticated
4. Confident
5. Strong
6. Kind
7. Dress
8. Well-mannered
9. Poised
10. Proper

2. What do you think it means to be a lady?
Conducting yourself properly.
Strong-willed, strong -minded
Strong, powerful, confident, Modest, respectful, eloquence
wisdom, gracious, polite, dignity, selfless, good character. YOURSELF.

Nearly everyone agreed that the word is becoming obsolete, BUT the same people don't think that ladies are considered boring.

Let me ask you all a question. The above adjectives are all positive. Who wouldn't want to be a lady?

What girl doesn't want to be known as respected, poised, graceful, classy, sophisticated, kind, STRONG?

All of you look at it as a positive thing.

The gentlemen all said that they treat girls different when they act like ladies. They respect them more.
Most of you girls that took the survey wish you could be a lady.

A lady is powerful being. Something all girls should aspire to be. She is looked at with awe, wonder, respect, and amazement.

Being a lady is an envied position. Confidence exudes. Respect follows wherever she goes. She is strong. Powerful.
It's something to think about.

More results to follow...

A Heart Checkup

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. - Proverbs 4:23

Think about where your heart is: the center of it all; whether you are thinking about your physical heart or your emotional heart, it is the key organ, the key piece. So doesn’t it make sense that this is where most of the difficult battles take place?

From a physical aspect, the heart is the center, the pumper of our life. While the brain is the control center of our body, our heart is the actual organ that pumps all of our blood. If our heart stops, we are dead. Notice also where it’s located: the most protected part of the body, right in the center, nestled behind the rib cage. The heart is so important to our existence that God encased it in a cage in our body.

Now think about your heart from an emotional stand point. We tend to base our decisions (the brain) off of what we are feeling (the heart).The heart carries so much power over us, so much so that we are not even aware of it’s power at times until it’s too late.

Our heart will betray us if we aren’t careful. What we are feeling especially in the area of love isn’t always what is good and healthy and moral for us. If we are justifying our feelings when our mind is telling us that they are wrong, our heart is preparing to form mutiny against us. You’re thinking: That’s insane! Everyone says to follow your heart.

And while that isn’t always bad advice, you must ask yourself a vital question: what is the current condition of my heart? Is your heart healthy? Content? Satisfied? Or is your heart desperately love-sick? Desperately lonely?

If you have a healthy heart that is bent on following God than following your heart isn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

BUT! If you are hesitant to answer the previous question, check your heart condition. If our decisions are based on irrational feelings and behavior than most likely your heart is sick and needs to be healed.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ‘“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” - Jeremiah 17:9-10

The only healer of the heart is the Lord. Examine your hearts. It can be the most difficult task you may ever face, but it will be the most rewarding. If your heart is unhealthy, your actions, deeds, and words will be unhealthy. You will make decisions you will regret in the long run. You will do things, you’ll wish you had never done.

A healthy heart focused and given to the Lord will be rewarding for years to come. For only through Him can we truly be fulfilled.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. - Psalms 37:4

A new way to look at love

Everyone says they love everything! I love coffee! I love shoes! I love traveling! I love Muse! I love, love, love, love, love everything. But what does it really mean to love something? Someone??

We say (well there are some exceptions here, but just go with it) that we love our families, our parents, our siblings, our friends, our boyfriends, our GOD. But do we really? Do we really?

When you love someone, you respect someone. You think about their needs, their desires. You think about things that are good for them, you try to avoid things that are bad for them. But, in regards to that last sentence we tend to get a little hazy. 

Hazy? Allow me to explain.

I know I write specifically to girls, but boys can take this and turn it around for themselves if they like. 

Ladies is your conduct around boys pleasing to God? Think about this...

If you are always flirting, teasing, enticing, you may think that you are showing the opposite sex love and affection. 

But is that beneficial towards them? Boys already struggle with desires without girls ever even opening their mouths or shaking their booties. 

That desire is greatly multiplied when girls start whispering things in the ears, touching them excessively, and dancing around inappropriately. (Inappropriate dancing is any kind of dancing with suggestive sexual movements.) 

These actions intensifies boys' struggles. Is that loving someone? Purposely accelerating a their struggle? When you love someone do you want to make them struggle.

A lot of times, I hear the argument, "Well, it's not my fault boy's struggle. I can dress the way I want, say what I want, and move the way I want." 

Yes, you can that is your liberated right. However, is it what a lady would do?  Is that showing love for your fellow man? And I'm not even speaking strictly here on romantic love. I'm speaking about general love towards fellow man. However, in a romantic situation this is even more vital. 

Our conduct - what we do and what we say affects everyone around us. EVERYONE! So ladies, think before you go out, think about the motivation behind what you're wearing. Think about what you say to boys. Think about how you act around boys.

Is your behavior Christ like? Is it truly loving them?

Ask yourself this: are you loving someone if you are causing them to stumble?

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony - Colossians 3:14