Monday, May 30, 2011
Through His Eyes
I know it has been almost one month since my last blog but I haven't forgotten about it nor have I stopped my Relentless Pursuit for my savior! I would like to share with all of you my senior exhibition of mastery final product. I decided to re-tell the Bible through Photography and this is a video showcasing all of my pieces up to this point. My deepest prayer is that these images resonant with you in some way and that you are reminded of your Creator and not just His creation. Here is the Youtube link! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyDkGM9yvSE
Sunday, May 1, 2011
And, so, I cried with Jesus...
Okay, so I’m about to be a little bit more raw than I’m used to on here. I am pretty much the exact opposite of a girl when you think of us in terms of tears. That girl sobbing during a romantic comedy? Not me. That girl wailing when she finds an especially reaching part of a fiction novel? Not me. That girl making a variety of highly unattractive noises and faces in attempt to hold in the tears? Almost entirely and accurately describes who I am. I cannot fully explain to you, my willing readers, how much I despise crying. God definitely as a sense of humor because, ironically, a high majority of my close friends cry frequently and have quite often been crying in unison around me. It is important for you to fully comprehend my deep hatred of tears, so that you can better understand how humbling it was for me to cry this past week with Jesus. I have laughed with him. I have sung praises to Him. I have served Him. I have been mad at Him. I have ignored Him. I have fallen to my knees in surrender of Him. My relationship with Him has taken me to all sorts of crazy emotions; however, I have never cried with Jesus. Never.
This past week I was thrown for a loop and found my relationship with Christ at a different place than it has ever been before. God spoke to me through these Matthew West lyrics, “I’ve been waiting for you for all this time. Been hoping you’d wait for me and the lesson I’ve learned is love always returns when its true. I’m so glad I waited for you.” At the end of this song when this part was sung again I just started sobbing. I couldn’t hold it in no matter how hard I tried. I felt Him holding me in his arms telling me He was waiting for me. He was waiting on me to realize that he has always been waiting on me with open arms. It was God’s love song to me. It is His love song to you. His declaration no matter where you are or how you are feeling that “I AM WAITING FOR YOU!!!!!” He has been waiting for you. Not only that, He is so glad that he waited on you because, my dear, you are beloved.
I encourage you to remember 2nd Corinthians 12: 9-10, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power my rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” His power is made perfect when we are lost, stressed, broken, and hurt. For when we are weak, he inhabits our lives and makes us strong. He is waiting to inhabit your life and to make you strong in Him.
This past week I was thrown for a loop and found my relationship with Christ at a different place than it has ever been before. God spoke to me through these Matthew West lyrics, “I’ve been waiting for you for all this time. Been hoping you’d wait for me and the lesson I’ve learned is love always returns when its true. I’m so glad I waited for you.” At the end of this song when this part was sung again I just started sobbing. I couldn’t hold it in no matter how hard I tried. I felt Him holding me in his arms telling me He was waiting for me. He was waiting on me to realize that he has always been waiting on me with open arms. It was God’s love song to me. It is His love song to you. His declaration no matter where you are or how you are feeling that “I AM WAITING FOR YOU!!!!!” He has been waiting for you. Not only that, He is so glad that he waited on you because, my dear, you are beloved.
I encourage you to remember 2nd Corinthians 12: 9-10, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power my rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” His power is made perfect when we are lost, stressed, broken, and hurt. For when we are weak, he inhabits our lives and makes us strong. He is waiting to inhabit your life and to make you strong in Him.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Captivity
A few blogs ago I told you all about my journey towards healing from parts of my past that hold me captive. It is still a process that I am involved in and I will probably be for a long time. I find that the more I have been in conversation with God about my captivity, the more he has taught me about the captivity of others. The more I ask him to heal me from my own bondage, the more he has introduced people to my life that could benefit from the same kind of healing. Captivity can come in so many forms and can often times have a hold over us without even knowing it! Here are a few of the areas of captivity that I have experienced.
Captive to our own hearts
We can be held captive to our own hearts. Have you ever been told to trust your heart? There are songs about it, cliche movie lines involving it, entertaining wikipedia articles on it, and science “proven” research that tells us to go with our heart every time we make a decision. That is one of the easiest areas of captivity that we can find ourselves in. We desire to follow our own will and go with our hearts more than we desire God’s will for us sometimes. Jeremiah 17:9 says “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” Deceitful above ALL things! Our hearts can bring us into sin, hold us in painful situations, and desperately want all the wrong things for our lives. It can be so easy to go with what we feel is right than to really commune with God about our decisions. Be careful of being held captive by Satan’s lies and the lies of the world about trusting your heart!
Captive to Complacency
We can be held captive when we are in a state of complacency. I think one of the most dangerous times of our walk with God occurs when we feel content and get complacent with where we stand spiritually. Complacency is often over looked because, well, at the time, we’re being complacent. How scary is it to think that we could at any point in our walk with God feel content to stop and not encouraged to keep going? I have found myself skipping out on daily quiet time. I have found myself doubting God’s ability to move in the time I spend with Him. I have found myself feeling content in my relationship with God and that scares me to no end! Think of the time you’ve felt the closest to God. Now, imagine your relationship with God being even greater than that every single day. That could happen for us which is why being complacent is so scary! What could we be missing out on when we decide to pause in our relationship with God?
Captive to Disobedience
We can be held captive to disobedience. In Isaiah 48:18 God says “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” They were held captive to their own plans and their own commands and they ended up missing out on God’s peace. They knew what God wanted them to do and they went their own way. They knew they were being disobedient and they missed out on something greater. I wonder how many times we make excuses for ourselves. I wonder how many times we know what God wants from us and fail to do it. I wonder what divine interventions we have missed out on from avoiding God when He spoke to us. Following through with our own plans may enable us to feel temporary satisfaction; however, it strengthens the bondage of disobedience and directs us away from the benefits God’s plans.
Captive to Unbelief
We can be held captive to unbelief. Let’s take a look at a father who desperately talks to Jesus about his son that needed healing in Mark 9: 21-23. He tells Jesus “but if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Did he just give Jesus an “if” statement? Sound familiar to any of your circumstances? If you can heal my son. If you can break this bondage. If you can introduce me to the right girl or guy. If you can end this addiction. If you can help me through this time. If you can rid me of my financial burdens. If you can help me find a job. Have you ever, like this father in Mark, given God an “if” statement? Have you ever been held captive to your unbelief? Jesus replies, “If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes.” The father then exclaims “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” It can be hard to fully believe God in our circumstances. Unbelief can keep us from experiencing freedom in Christ and it can greatly affect our spiritual walk with Jesus.
Captivity is something that every believer encounters. Captivity can be deeply routed in us and can rear its head in every aspect of our lives BUT captivity is not God’s will for your life! Take a look at the areas of your life that you are held captive in. Maybe you have more than one. Maybe you don’t know how to start dealing with it. Maybe you are discouraged from starting the healing process. Can I tell you something? I’ve felt strong bonds of captivity in my life that held me back from Christ for years. So, I spent hours in prayer, reflection, worship, and in the Word of God. I begged Jesus, like the father in Mark, to help me overcome my unbelief and my other areas of bondage. Slowly, he has shown me liberty in Him. You are beloved. You are valuable. You are beautiful. You are a child of God. You are his chosen instrument. You have the opportunity to be free! God’s plans for you do not involve you being in any area of captivity so tap into the freedom He has for you! You won’t be disappointed.
Captive to our own hearts
We can be held captive to our own hearts. Have you ever been told to trust your heart? There are songs about it, cliche movie lines involving it, entertaining wikipedia articles on it, and science “proven” research that tells us to go with our heart every time we make a decision. That is one of the easiest areas of captivity that we can find ourselves in. We desire to follow our own will and go with our hearts more than we desire God’s will for us sometimes. Jeremiah 17:9 says “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” Deceitful above ALL things! Our hearts can bring us into sin, hold us in painful situations, and desperately want all the wrong things for our lives. It can be so easy to go with what we feel is right than to really commune with God about our decisions. Be careful of being held captive by Satan’s lies and the lies of the world about trusting your heart!
Captive to Complacency
We can be held captive when we are in a state of complacency. I think one of the most dangerous times of our walk with God occurs when we feel content and get complacent with where we stand spiritually. Complacency is often over looked because, well, at the time, we’re being complacent. How scary is it to think that we could at any point in our walk with God feel content to stop and not encouraged to keep going? I have found myself skipping out on daily quiet time. I have found myself doubting God’s ability to move in the time I spend with Him. I have found myself feeling content in my relationship with God and that scares me to no end! Think of the time you’ve felt the closest to God. Now, imagine your relationship with God being even greater than that every single day. That could happen for us which is why being complacent is so scary! What could we be missing out on when we decide to pause in our relationship with God?
Captive to Disobedience
We can be held captive to disobedience. In Isaiah 48:18 God says “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” They were held captive to their own plans and their own commands and they ended up missing out on God’s peace. They knew what God wanted them to do and they went their own way. They knew they were being disobedient and they missed out on something greater. I wonder how many times we make excuses for ourselves. I wonder how many times we know what God wants from us and fail to do it. I wonder what divine interventions we have missed out on from avoiding God when He spoke to us. Following through with our own plans may enable us to feel temporary satisfaction; however, it strengthens the bondage of disobedience and directs us away from the benefits God’s plans.
Captive to Unbelief
We can be held captive to unbelief. Let’s take a look at a father who desperately talks to Jesus about his son that needed healing in Mark 9: 21-23. He tells Jesus “but if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Did he just give Jesus an “if” statement? Sound familiar to any of your circumstances? If you can heal my son. If you can break this bondage. If you can introduce me to the right girl or guy. If you can end this addiction. If you can help me through this time. If you can rid me of my financial burdens. If you can help me find a job. Have you ever, like this father in Mark, given God an “if” statement? Have you ever been held captive to your unbelief? Jesus replies, “If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes.” The father then exclaims “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” It can be hard to fully believe God in our circumstances. Unbelief can keep us from experiencing freedom in Christ and it can greatly affect our spiritual walk with Jesus.
Captivity is something that every believer encounters. Captivity can be deeply routed in us and can rear its head in every aspect of our lives BUT captivity is not God’s will for your life! Take a look at the areas of your life that you are held captive in. Maybe you have more than one. Maybe you don’t know how to start dealing with it. Maybe you are discouraged from starting the healing process. Can I tell you something? I’ve felt strong bonds of captivity in my life that held me back from Christ for years. So, I spent hours in prayer, reflection, worship, and in the Word of God. I begged Jesus, like the father in Mark, to help me overcome my unbelief and my other areas of bondage. Slowly, he has shown me liberty in Him. You are beloved. You are valuable. You are beautiful. You are a child of God. You are his chosen instrument. You have the opportunity to be free! God’s plans for you do not involve you being in any area of captivity so tap into the freedom He has for you! You won’t be disappointed.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Bible Revealed
It seriously amazes me to think about God’s word. HIS word. HIS thoughts. HIS stories. HIS ideas. HIS creation. HIS book dedicated to revealing, teaching, guiding, and correcting us, so that we may become more like the people He has called us to be. Let me explain to you some of the intricacies of the Bible that I have learned on my relentless pursuit to understanding HIS word.
The Bible is 66 books written by 44 authors in 3 different languages covering 3 continents. Somehow, all of that combined to give us 1 message!
The Bible is banned in 51 countries. Can you imagine the kind of power this book must contain in order for it to be banned in 51 countries? Their fear of God is admirable.
The center verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8 “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” There are exactly 594 verses before it and 594 verses after it. If you add 594 with 594 you get 1188 which is where the verse is found, Psalm 118:8.
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son.” Let’s take a look at the word “loved” in this verse. I think you’ll find an interesting parallel. If we trace back the word “love” we will find that the first time it was used in the Bible was in Genesis 22:2 “Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Did you catch that? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son.” “Take your son, your only son, whom you love....sacrifice him” There is a parallel here of God sacrificing His son for us and Abraham sacrificing his son for God. I have a really hard time believing this to be a coincidence, a matter of fate, a man made creation.
How often do we view the Bible as sacred? How often do we take this sacred book with us wherever we go? How often do we look at this book? How often do we share it with others? How often do we see God’s word for what it is--beautiful, intricate, holy, magnificent, ancient (yet timeless), perfect, and sacred. God’s word is immeasurably powerful. You have a few choices. You can put Christ in a box, limit Him, and say it is all a coincidence. Or, you can acknowledge its beauty, submit yourself to His influence, and delve into HIS word.
I want to leave you with a powerful excerpt I once read about God’s word. “When you read your Bible, receive and savor it like a love letter from God to you. Remember, you’re reading in order to meet someone. Ponder what you have read, and apply it to your present circumstances. Let it go down into the core of your being. And as you read, expect Him to commune with you.”
The Bible is 66 books written by 44 authors in 3 different languages covering 3 continents. Somehow, all of that combined to give us 1 message!
The Bible is banned in 51 countries. Can you imagine the kind of power this book must contain in order for it to be banned in 51 countries? Their fear of God is admirable.
The center verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8 “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” There are exactly 594 verses before it and 594 verses after it. If you add 594 with 594 you get 1188 which is where the verse is found, Psalm 118:8.
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son.” Let’s take a look at the word “loved” in this verse. I think you’ll find an interesting parallel. If we trace back the word “love” we will find that the first time it was used in the Bible was in Genesis 22:2 “Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Did you catch that? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son.” “Take your son, your only son, whom you love....sacrifice him” There is a parallel here of God sacrificing His son for us and Abraham sacrificing his son for God. I have a really hard time believing this to be a coincidence, a matter of fate, a man made creation.
How often do we view the Bible as sacred? How often do we take this sacred book with us wherever we go? How often do we look at this book? How often do we share it with others? How often do we see God’s word for what it is--beautiful, intricate, holy, magnificent, ancient (yet timeless), perfect, and sacred. God’s word is immeasurably powerful. You have a few choices. You can put Christ in a box, limit Him, and say it is all a coincidence. Or, you can acknowledge its beauty, submit yourself to His influence, and delve into HIS word.
I want to leave you with a powerful excerpt I once read about God’s word. “When you read your Bible, receive and savor it like a love letter from God to you. Remember, you’re reading in order to meet someone. Ponder what you have read, and apply it to your present circumstances. Let it go down into the core of your being. And as you read, expect Him to commune with you.”
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
In Bondage
I’ve tried to be intentional in asking God everyday to do a work in me, to illuminate the areas of my life that need work, and to reveal himself to me continuously. The more I ask for these things the more I am humbled; however, I’ve realized how much my past hurt hinders my relentless pursuit. I have discovered how much I am still in bondage; I’m a slave to fear, worry, and anger.
In making this discovery, I knew that in order to successfully live out my relentless pursuit I needed to humble myself before the Lord and ask for healing. I have been through and seen more than most teenagers and it is time for me to acknowledge it is more than I can handle on my own.
How relentlessly could I be pursuing my savior if I wasn’t willing to trust Him to handle ALL parts of my life? How could I encourage people to be “souled out” for Christ if I was still carrying around anger? I am giving my past to Christ. I am humbly coming before Him asking Him to heal me. I am ready to deal with some painful parts of my life and rid myself of them! I am praising God because He is more than capable of healing me and He is more than capable of healing you too.
What are you carrying? What is holding you down? Maybe you are feeling the same way. Maybe there are parts of your life that you are angry with God about. Maybe there are things from your past that you carry around every single day. Maybe you are tired of being burdened. Maybe you are ready to claim Galatians 5:1 over your life. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” In one of Beth Moore’s studies she asks readers to make liberty in Christ a reality in your life. How powerful is that? Christ wants us to have liberty in Him. Christ wants to free you of whatever you are held slave to. The hard part is that you have to let Him. You have to risk opening up painful parts of your life so that he can completely take them away. You have to risk encountering tough emotions so that you can experience a new freedom in Christ! When you ask God to heal you and free you of your burdens he will. He can make you whole again. While it might take a lot of time, I promise you that if you seek Christ in the hardest times of your life you will feel his comforting hand in the end. You will be able to say “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, he delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4 Claim that for your life!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Hey Satan, I've got news for you.
Unfortunately, Satan is going to be on his own pursuit for your life. For every plan Christ has for you, Satan has one too. For every perfect path God has set aside for you, Satan has developed his own to counteract it. The more you seek after Christ in your own relentless pursuit, the more Satan will try to bring you down. Without a doubt the hardest thing about my relentless pursuit, so far, has been feeling the presence of Satan so strongly in my life. I could feel him all around me. I felt weak. I felt like my strongholds were taking over. I felt the presence of a powerful being that had me down for a long time. It had me distracted. It had me feeling completely defeated.
Then I remembered exactly how powerful Satan really is. I remembered that he has already lost. I remembered that my Savior has already defeated him. I have this very stubborn part of me that so desperately wants to let Satan down. I would like to think that every single time I wake up in the morning and set my feet on the ground, he scrambles and screams “she’s awakeeeee!!!” How awesome would it be to know that your alliance with Christ was so strong that Satan shook every time you woke up in the mornings? How awesome would it be to know that you were so relentlessly pursuing Christ that Satan felt the desire to throw everything he could at you to stop you?
I hope that you remember that Christ has YOUR name written on the palms of his hands. He has already defeated Satan for you....so live for your savior. Remember that any time you feel Satan’s presence it must be because he is so intimidated of the plans Christ has for you. Believe me, Christ has some big plans for you! Don’t let anything stop you for claiming what is set apart for you!
Check out the rest of my pictures at www.facebook.com/emilymichellephotos "Capturing the world through His eyes."
Monday, February 28, 2011
2+2=5
“Teenagers: move out, get a job, pay your own bills while you still know everything.”
I saw a sign last week with this text on it and it really resonated with me. I guess there is a part of the seventeen year old in me that can see more value in my own opinions than those of others. I think I’m right, but one of the first lessons I’ve learned in my relentless pursuit is that I’m not. When I begin to trust in my own plans above the plans of my Savior I can really be missing out on a lot of good that God has planned for me. It can really get dangerous when I start to value my own ideas and plans more than the “good, pleasing and perfect will” of God (Romans 12:2)
I can remember a time when I was younger that I would argue with my mom about the exception of the math problem 2+2. I was so convinced that sometimes those numbers added together for a total of 5. There was no telling me otherwise; I just knew that two plus two could sometimes equal five. I would seriously be so angry and frustrated that she did not see how absolutely correct I was in my divine revelation that 2 + 2 equaled 5!
Situations in our lives work a lot like the 2 + 2 math problem. I would see the problem (2) develop my own solution (+2) and always fall short of the correct answer (=5). I would form my own opinion (2) trust in my plan to succeed (+2) and forget that I need to trust God to provide (=5). In raising money for my brother’s treatments I would trust in myself and my family to get him where he needed to be (2+2=5) I would doubt and question God’s plan and timing and decide to act on my own ideas (2+2=5) It wasn’t until we lifted up that financial burden and gave it to Him before he opened our eyes to the correct answer (4) and showed us what he had in mind all along (2+2=4). We trusted God to provide and now Ryan’s first round of treatments this summer are covered (2+2=4).
God is teaching me in my relentless pursuit that I need to learn to trust him and take myself out of the equation. I need to submit myself to the advice of others. I need to humble myself before him and acknowledge that any direction he has me going in is far better than the direction I would choose for myself. God is teaching me that 2+2=4.
I saw a sign last week with this text on it and it really resonated with me. I guess there is a part of the seventeen year old in me that can see more value in my own opinions than those of others. I think I’m right, but one of the first lessons I’ve learned in my relentless pursuit is that I’m not. When I begin to trust in my own plans above the plans of my Savior I can really be missing out on a lot of good that God has planned for me. It can really get dangerous when I start to value my own ideas and plans more than the “good, pleasing and perfect will” of God (Romans 12:2)
I can remember a time when I was younger that I would argue with my mom about the exception of the math problem 2+2. I was so convinced that sometimes those numbers added together for a total of 5. There was no telling me otherwise; I just knew that two plus two could sometimes equal five. I would seriously be so angry and frustrated that she did not see how absolutely correct I was in my divine revelation that 2 + 2 equaled 5!
Situations in our lives work a lot like the 2 + 2 math problem. I would see the problem (2) develop my own solution (+2) and always fall short of the correct answer (=5). I would form my own opinion (2) trust in my plan to succeed (+2) and forget that I need to trust God to provide (=5). In raising money for my brother’s treatments I would trust in myself and my family to get him where he needed to be (2+2=5) I would doubt and question God’s plan and timing and decide to act on my own ideas (2+2=5) It wasn’t until we lifted up that financial burden and gave it to Him before he opened our eyes to the correct answer (4) and showed us what he had in mind all along (2+2=4). We trusted God to provide and now Ryan’s first round of treatments this summer are covered (2+2=4).
God is teaching me in my relentless pursuit that I need to learn to trust him and take myself out of the equation. I need to submit myself to the advice of others. I need to humble myself before him and acknowledge that any direction he has me going in is far better than the direction I would choose for myself. God is teaching me that 2+2=4.
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