I pray that everyone is having a fantastic week! I am enjoying the time I have off before I start babysitting this summer! Just a little update on my life: This month has been an emotional one; from finals and 4 hour test, to graduation of loved ones, to our ministry work, to my crazy life. Through it all I watched the devil work hard to get me to fall, and sometimes I would for a minute, but then I remember how BIG our God is and how mush STRONGER He is than the devil. The devil knows just how to get to you! He will use that one thing that aggravates you and times it by 5000 just to try and cause you to fall. I have watched him do it since I rededicated my life, even two weeks ago, and just this morning. It always tends to happen when I am doing something for God, and when things are going great. I am sure you all can relate! In this time I become weak and ask God what to do. He usually just tells me "Don't you remember who I am? The alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. You have the same Holy Spirit in you that came into the upper room. You have the same power as Jesus the one who healed many! You can banish the devil and get rid of him. I am the one who created him." Then sometimes He says, "Starla, you are doing this for me, for my glory, not your own. Let it go!" (Sing frozen here.) As I am writing this in tears, tears of joy because God is so powerful, I can feel Him wrap me up and calm me and tell me He has everything under control.
Yesterday I had the chance to help my mom prepare for our camping trip; we cleaned and made a trip to the lovely Walmart for camping supplies. It was a busy day, but as we were cleaning up outside I noticed a dandelion in the yard and I couldn't help but to go pick it and blow it, making a wish like a little child. In doing this God reminded me of the story of Mary and Martha.
While they were traveling, He entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who also sat at the Lord’s feet and was listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 HCSB)
Martha was so excited that Jesus was in her home, she was also distracted by "her many task" while her sister Mary was sitting at the Lords feet hanging on every word that He said. Just like Martha we can be so caught up in our task, our life, trying to be perfect, that we forget to sit still and listen to God. To just spend time with Him. We (myself included) get so busy with Facebook, twitter, Instagram, the news, and many other worldly things that we forget why we were put her on this earth. We were made to worship Jesus, to share his love, and to spend personal time with Him. It is an intimate relationship. Martha was worried and upset like we can be, but Jesus says only one thing is needed and that isn't found in doing more, it is found by sitting at Jesus' feet. It doesn't take much to have a deeper relationship with God, if we only have an open heart and come ready to receive.
Its so much more than reading a verse or even knowing the whole bible. If we don't have a relationship with the Lord then we have nothing. He says "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?' Then I will announce to them, 'I never knew your! Depart from Me, your lawbreakers!" (Matthew 7:21-23) We can do all the miracles, the works, and claim His name, but Jesus makes it clear that a true disciple of His livens a transformed life made possible by God.
Does that not scare you like it scared me years ago? When I read that right before I rededicated my life I was scared. I knew that the Lord would have told me to depart from Him, and that broke me. Now I know that I will be with Him one day, because my life is changed. All I do is for Him! I challenge you to look deep into your life and see if you have changed. See if everything you are doing is for Him and not yourself. Don't let the devil win. The Lord is waiting for you don't run away from Him! I am not perfect and I fail at this, I even get busy doing work for the Lord that I forget to take time to be with just Him! crazy huh? Thank you for reading this, I truly gave you my heart and it means the world to me that you would read this! Please feel free to comment and share!
you are loved, you are forgiven, you are blessed
His daughter,
Starla Conroy
One of my favorite songs by Bethel Music: A Little Longer
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