Fearers of Men

i started reading a new book in my devotions. the name of the book is When People Are Big and God is Small. last night i was reading in it and it gave all kinds of examples of how we "fear men" basically how we please people over God. how we fear people more than God. if we aren't wearing the best outfit at school or if we don't get good grades, or don't meet up to people's standards how do we react? my answer to that question is that i would be upset. i am a people pleaser. so often i become prey to peer pressure or wanting to do things well so people will look at me and think "wow she is good" and you know what my focus is no longer on God when i am worrying about what people think about me. this to me seems like an unbeatable problem, but i left something out....God. i can't conquer this without God and the problem is i was trying to accomplish it by myself. so now when i feel the fear creep into my throat of "oh my word they looked at me weird did i do something wrong do i look weird?" i bow my head in prayer and say Lord help me to take my focus off of people and fear you. You are Almighty God!!

shane and shane

i recently got a shane and shane cd. the title of the cd is psalms. it is a really good cd. the song i am going to share with you is from that cd and if you pull out your Bible and read along with what they're singing i think you will find it is pretty much straight out of the Bible. so for all those people who think that ccm doesn't use the Bible in their songs...you're wrong. the chapter is Psalms 143. one time i was doing my devotions and listening to this song while i was doing devotions and i read the passage while listening to the song and it was such an encouragement to me so i thought i would share this encouragement with you as well. also, there is something i have been thinking about recently that i would just like to share with you guys who are my closest friends. a couple of days ago i was visiting my grandmother up in virginia and it really got me thinking. her husband my grandfather died at the beginning of the semester and it is really hard for her. she is schitzophrenic (i hope that's how you spell it) and has depression and she lives by herself in a very small house on the side of a mountain. she never goes out. if she does it is just to get groceries so she can live. both me and my mother feel so burdened for her she is just so...secluded from the world and she doesn't have anybody but her dog to keep her company. on my way home from virginia i started thinking. how is it that God wanted me to be so fortunate? i have so many things and i have friends, a nice home, a car, and anything i could possibly ever want. why am i so blessed? i deserve hell! how come i am not some old lady stuck in her house, going crazy, with nobody to keep her company? and the longer i thought about it the more i decided that God has given me all i have so i can give it back to Him and use it to serve Him and reach others. so i guess you could say this is my "new year's resolution" (although i despise new year's resolutions) to give everything i have in service to God. i will not be like the rich man who denied God because he wanted to keep his wealth i give it all to Him. i also thanked God for giving me so many things that i don't appreciate even such a small thing as coffee. i love coffee and some people don't have money to enjoy a nice cup of coffee every morning and i can thank God even for the little pleasures in life. well this has stretched on way longer than i intended it to. maybe someone like bethany will actually read it through. ;) so here is the song remember to thank God for everything and to serve Him with your life. till next time.