OK my wonderful followers (and any other wonderful person who happens to stop by!), I have a question for you! {Drum roll, please!}
What would YOU like to see on my blog? Do you have any post suggestions? Do you have any questions, or topics that you would like me to give my opinion on? I am open to ANYTHING (well, as long as it's purity/following God related). Fire away! Please, take the time to think of something and post it in a comment.
Awaiting your response!
Cassie xoxoxo
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Coarse talk: uh-uh
I came across this verse recently: "Nor should there be any obscenity, foolish talk or course joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5:4) (I've put this in my Modesty in Actions post, too.) Wow, pretty direct! I also love the New Life Version: "Do not be guilty of telling bad stories and of foolish talk. These things are not for you to do. Instead, you are to give thanks for what God has done for you." I think we all do these not-great things at some point. However 'harmless' they may seem, God is against them.
And we also need to work on giving thanks. It's all too easy to tell a cool story and not give the due credit to God, for example. We need to publicly give thanks to Him for His work. (Psalm 22:22) What a challenge.
Cassie xoxoxo
And we also need to work on giving thanks. It's all too easy to tell a cool story and not give the due credit to God, for example. We need to publicly give thanks to Him for His work. (Psalm 22:22) What a challenge.
Cassie xoxoxo
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Idols
'Idols in our life.' We've all heard the concept before, and the lecture that goes along with it: don't let anything in your life be above God. But can you relate? I couldn't until about a month ago. I used to nod my head in agreement, but, to be honest, nothing was really interfering with God in my life. Then that changed.
When we moved, God quickly gave me friends, who are amazing. I am so thankful for them. BUT, because I had been staved of the constant, every-day kind of friendship (sure, I still emailed and valued my old friends, but there was an element of frequency that was missing) I started to idolise my new friends. They became "objects of my excessive and superior adoration." (My variation of The Concise Oxford Dictionary's definition of 'idol.') True, I did not live to please them, and I believe they were a 'mild' idol; but they were an idol nonetheless, I had to give them over to God.
Unknowing of my situation (nice one, God!), the mum of a friend shared the 'open hand' concept. Instead of pulling our hands into a fist, and holding tightly to what God has given us, we should let them lay open, alowing God to do what he wants with his blessings. (While it's true that God can take them away, even if our hand is closed, we still need to make a conscious decision to release them to him.)
So in my personal devotion, I physically laid my hand open, and pretended to place in it my friendships. I told God that He could have them and do whatever He wished with them. I told Him I wanted Him to be in the highest place in my life. After praying, I felt a shift. I knew my friends weren't an idol any more.
However, after a while I realised that this would be a continual process. Satan keeps trying to shove friends onto the top of my life, and I have to pray to get them back down and God back up. I don't know how long this will go on for. But I do know that I must always watch for signs of idols, and be willing to give them over to God.
With sisterly love,
Cassie xoxoxo
When we moved, God quickly gave me friends, who are amazing. I am so thankful for them. BUT, because I had been staved of the constant, every-day kind of friendship (sure, I still emailed and valued my old friends, but there was an element of frequency that was missing) I started to idolise my new friends. They became "objects of my excessive and superior adoration." (My variation of The Concise Oxford Dictionary's definition of 'idol.') True, I did not live to please them, and I believe they were a 'mild' idol; but they were an idol nonetheless, I had to give them over to God.
Unknowing of my situation (nice one, God!), the mum of a friend shared the 'open hand' concept. Instead of pulling our hands into a fist, and holding tightly to what God has given us, we should let them lay open, alowing God to do what he wants with his blessings. (While it's true that God can take them away, even if our hand is closed, we still need to make a conscious decision to release them to him.)
So in my personal devotion, I physically laid my hand open, and pretended to place in it my friendships. I told God that He could have them and do whatever He wished with them. I told Him I wanted Him to be in the highest place in my life. After praying, I felt a shift. I knew my friends weren't an idol any more.
However, after a while I realised that this would be a continual process. Satan keeps trying to shove friends onto the top of my life, and I have to pray to get them back down and God back up. I don't know how long this will go on for. But I do know that I must always watch for signs of idols, and be willing to give them over to God.
With sisterly love,
Cassie xoxoxo
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