the power of words

People, humans, we all seem to forget how POWERFUL our words can be. "Stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" I wish that was true but unfortunately it's not. I am an extremely sensitive and sometimes insecure person; hurtful words have a way of taking up a large permanent residence in my heart and not allowing any positive, uplifting, or encouraging words any to get in. I have decided to turn to the Bible to try and use the verses as a way to evict the hurtful words from my heart. I know that I am guilty of not recognizing the power of my words and gossiping or saying hurtful things in the heat of the moment, it is easily done and we are all guilty of it, but there is something to be learned from these verses...even though it is so easy to just merely read these without fully digesting them and much more difficult to implement them into our thoughts and actions. I believe that reading them with repetition with eventually allow them to change our perspective and reaction. Not only how to forgive people who hurt us with their words but to learn how to control our own tongues.

"But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. " Mark 11:25 


"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble." Proverbs 21:23


"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" Matthew 5:44


"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” - Romans 12:19


"If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.  Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good."-Romans 12:17-21


"If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil." -1 Peter 3 9-12


"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29

Betrayed To-Do List

1.) Let God Take Revenge

2.) Forgive Betrayer

3.) Pray for them

working on "becoming more than a good Bible study girl"

I just finished reading "Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl" by Lysa TerKeurst and I just thank God I stumbled upon this book! To me, it's one of those books that really resonates with you; allowing you to gain knowledge and change perspectives, it makes you re-evaluate and re-prioritize your life and it such a positive, uplifting book that I will probably be recommending this book for a while to come. When I read books that rock my world, like this one, I tend to take notes/highlight things, which is exactly what I did with this gem of a book, I took notes and I want to share some of the most influential insights and/or profound statements that I was so fortunate to find in this book...

"I must continue to pursue truth that keeps me grounded and God's love that keeps me filled. Then my desperate hollowness is replaced by a desire for holiness."

"If Satan can use our everyday experiences, both big and small, to cripple our true identity, then he renders God's people totally ineffective for the kingdom of Christ."

"God never intended for us to rely on others for our sense of well-being. Only He is equipped to provide that."

"The longer I went without meeting with God, the more desperate, cloudy, and starved my soul become. Running on empty eventually causes things to break down and stall out..."

"The world's offering of joy, hope and love is fleeting, temporary and dangerously unstable"

"The peace that flows despite circumstances can only be found through Jesus being with us"

"Jesus just wants a willing soul to come to Him - to verbalize her desire to seek Him and acknowledge her need for Him"

"The more we make a habit of applying God's Word to our lives, the more it becomes part of our nature, our natural way of acting and reacting".

"The only time-tested, foolproof instruction for how to get our basic soul needs met is found in the Bible. We must not only read and study the Bible but also develop the habit of living out its message in our everyday lives".

"Stop looking at others for validation and learn to truly depend on God".

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" - James 4:8

"When humans forsake their Maker and love other things more, they become like the things they love - small, insignificant, weightless, inconsequential and God diminishing" - John Piper

"May the fixed routine of our life be praise, thanksgiving, and overflowing evidence of the presence of Jesus." 

"Instead of letting my thoughts get swept up in the troubles and inconveniences of the here and now, I can choose to focus on how temporary those troubles and inconveniences are in light of eternity"

"As soon as we praise God, Satan flees"

Pretty awesome, stuff huh? I have a LONG way to go to becoming MORE than a good Bible study girl, I dont even know if Im qualified to be a good Bible study girl yet... But that is what is our lives are all about - growth and progress towards Jesus and with Jesus! Get this book and thank me later :) 

Today is Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of the season of Lent; which is essentially a time for us Christians to repent, to be aware of our sinfulness, and to reflect and to remember what Jesus sacrificed for US, while we were sinners. Most/some Christians choose to participate in Lent, in which we typically give up something, or SACRIFICE something, in honor of what Jesus sacrificed for us! I think that it is absolutely perfect timing, for me to re-commitment to my relationship with Jesus Christ. I have slowly been slipping away from the church and from my dusty bible and from my daily prayers...and being that it is Ash Wednesday - its high-time and perfect timing for me to get closer to God. My spiritual life has always been up and down, on again and off again, extremely close than very distant, very intense and then very dull - but the one constant is that when I am not praying, or going to Church or reading some sort of religious or spiritual literature - I can most definitely notice changes  in my day to day life, as a direct result from my lack prayer and faith. I become inpatient, rude, bossy, discontent, anxious, fearful, nervous and my personal relationships along with my sobriety suffer when I don't have God in my life. For lent, I have decided to give up alcohol (duh!), soda and fast food. They may all seem meaningless, and they are in the large scheme of things considering Jesus sacrificed his life for me and I'm saying I will sacrifice an occasional quarter pounder with cheese from McDonalds for him; but Lent is more so about our relationship with God as opposed to what we were sacrifice.  Jesus was tempted during his 40 days of fasting in the desert so I'm sure I will have temptations during this 46 day period, but I think I can handle it! I really am hoping to use this time period, before Easter, to grow in my relationship with God, to become more like the woman He intends for me to be, to strengthen my character and soften my heart and maybe i'll even loose a pound or two by not drinking soda or eating fast food?! ;)  HAPPY ASH WEDNESDAY! 

happy anniversary to brock and i

brock, thank you for always supporting me, and caring for me, and loving me; thanks for being YOU. i feel so blessed to be in a loving relationship with you - i know that what we have is the real deal! i adore and admire you and love you to death! happy anni! 

simple truths to remember

today, i just wanted to remind myself of a few simple truths. to know that comparison is the thief of all joy, and to remember that there is nothing to be gained by comparing myself to others - i will either feel envious or prideful. to remind myself to trust the process, and the timing of my life, to God - to have faith that He knows what He is doing with me, and to remember that my individuality is my greatest assest; and that my past mistakes or failures have given me strength and knowledge for my future. i need to remind myself that i have so much to be thankful for and that gratitude is the key to happiness and hard work is the key to success. 

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" - Roman 8:28

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." - Proverbs 19:21

"There are four questions of value in life... 

What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? 

What is worth living for and what is worth dying for?

The answer to each is the same. Only love." 

-Johnny Depp

happy february! make it count and make it a good one!