Journey of a Thousand Miles

Self-control- emotions, appetites Submit to God's control Self-control- to be controlled by God Proverbs 25:28 Without self-control, we have no defense against our enemies (anything that separates us from God). Proverbs 5:22-23 If we seek fulfillment outside of God's ways, we live as fools. We don't dip into sin just a little bit. This is fantasy. Once we start downhill, there are no lines we won't cross. How high can we rise? Galatians 5 - includes self-control Self-control is only possible through Jesus. Walk by the spirit. The desires of the flesh are against the spirit. We are to starve our ungodly cravings. Hindrances to self control competing desires- our desire for control vs. what has control over us. yo-yoing means we have no control over what we desire (on/off relationships). torn b/w 2 desires wrong motives- we want it for the wrong reasons, tired of the consequences; it should be about God. Attempts at self improvement don't...

Bonds can form around sin. Real change doesn't begin with trying harder to not do something sinful. Change starts when we're honest with God that we don't want to try at all. Don't hang with people who indulge in earthly pleasures. Insecurity- if God is not our anchor, we'll find security in people (the wrong people). Friendships like this can't work. Don't make friends with angry people. We are conformed to whatever we focus on. Bad company ruins good morals. Surround yourself with people who bring you closer to God. Spiritually edifying. Not afraid to talk about our sin struggles. Be honest about sin. We need friends who will hold us accountable, not someone who will say our sins are no big deal. Our choices in friendship are a reflection of where we are in God. Taking over someone else's responsibility is more harmful than good. Get unentangled by codependent relationships. Co-dependency = fear of man Unhealthy dependence o...

Foolish- doesn't fear the Lord, doesn't submit to God, feeds on arrogance instead of humility 6 Traits of a Foolish Woman Drawn into worldliness- devotes time and money into appearance, misses the freedom to age gracefully, materialistic and ambitious for worldly success Believes the lie that material blessings can be gained apart from God. The world will always tempt us to go after more stuff.  Hates knowledge- She rationalizes away biblical counsel, lives solely by her emotions, and fulfills her personal desires at any cost. Believes that her way of thinking is always the right way. Refuses to embrace God's ways, to give up a destructive relationship or bad habit. Scoffers never get what they seek. The root of scoffing is pride.  Complacency- ok with a mediocre Christian life. We are always going forward or backwards in the Christian life. We're never sitting still. We can't straddle the fence between the world and God. We may have to give up something to ...

Notes from this podcast: https://www.rightnow.org/Content/Series/149678#2 Worldly wisdom is centered on self. Biblical wisdom is centered on God. Centering on God enables us to enjoy life more. As we live out His principles, we realize that life tends to run more smoothly. As this happens, God is showcased as the All Wise One, and He is glorified. Where does wisdom come from? (Proverbs 9:10) The fear of the Lord What is the fear of the Lord? Recognizing that God is God, and we are not. Humbly bow before Him in trusting submission. Wisdom is the realization that God is everything. How to live wisely: build our lives around God rather than ourselves Proverbs 8:8-9 The trouble is never with scripture; it's always with us. Soak yourself in scripture. It shapes our understanding of life. The guidance we need will come to us easier. Proverbs 8:1-3 We sin because we think the wisest way is the way that will make us happiest. We let our natural passions direct our liv...

One of the hardest things about learning more about God's Truths is that our idols start to look less appealing. We start to see them for what they really are- imperfect, full of flaws, and truly unfulfilling. At once, we thought these idols would complete us, make our lives better. Now they seem so... dull . They've lost their luster and shine. It's like meeting a celebrity you looked up to for so long and then realizing they're not a good person on the inside. It's disappointing to see that the Wizard of Oz is just a man behind a screen. We feel cheated, betrayed, wronged! How could we go on living so blinded and deceived for so long? How could we believe that these idols were once so great and then see them come crashing down when compared to the Truth? It's like growing up and finding out that Santa Claus isn't real. Your parents have been lying to you all this time. And you fell for it. The magic is gone. On the bright side... we no longer have to dep...

WARNING: This is a blog about nothing, really. This has been one very relaxing, much-needed trip to Houston. I love spending time with my family and catching up with old friends. After this weekend, I think God knew what He was doing by sending me to Austin. Although I miss some aspects of my life in Houston, I am very grateful for all that God has blessed me for my life in Austin. I am mostly grateful for the Recovery process God has bestowed on me. It has saved my life in a multitude of ways. Recovery has allowed me to be single so I could grow as a person, pursue my dreams, and become the person I want to be without having a relationship to damage my life. Better yet, I have learned to find my identity in Christ and not in a man's approval. It is truly freeing. I would like to remember that I am ok right where I am. It gets easy to lose perspective in the midst of difficult circumstances, and I forget to be grateful for what God has given to me. This weekend was a reminder of m...

Let's talk about a matter that I have avoided for quite some time, only because I really hate talking about it. Not only do I hate talking or thinking about it, but I hate reminding myself of the fact that I am in this predicament, despite my yearnings and prayers to God. And the topic I am speaking of today is... [drumroll please]... the art of being single. It seems to me that this is the age I should be settling down or dating someone or getting married or planning a wedding. Most singles my age have already spruced up their eHarmony profiles or been set up on blind dates by sympathetic friends. Others take to the bar or club and hop on the next wagon that takes them home. It seems my method of finding a mate could be seen as ineffective or unproductive, especially since, well... I'm not really searching. I mean, don't get me wrong, I look. But it just hasn't become my main priority, and I'd rather let God do the searching for me. Dating is a scary world out the...

Life and I are starting to become great friends. Through my process of recovery, I have been spending some time in the Word and reading about suffering. In the past, I have had a bad relationship with suffering. Actually, I take that back. After alot of bad things happened to me, I started to believe that God was punishing me, that I had done something wrong to deserve the bad things that happened to me. I grew a huge guilt complex that carried me through college and then into the real world and the more bad things that happened to me, the more I believed I deserved it and started to expect bad things to happen to me. Needless to say, suffering grew a bad name with me. So I started to read about suffering in the Bible and realized that Jesus did alot of suffering too. Alot of godly people in the Bible did alot of suffering, and that’s when I realized... suffering happens to good people too, it’s part of living in a fallen world, and none of these people were being punished by God....