Friends

Friends.  They are the people that mold us and shape us.  They encourage us and spur us on.  They listen and advise.  They love us no matter what.


Tonight was just a wonderful reminder of how blessed I have been to have been given the friends that I have.  I got the chance to sit down and talk with my best girl friends at college.  We shared our testimonies of what God has done in our lives up until now.  We ended in a Spirit-filled prayer that fueled us for the upcoming week and all that God will use us for.  What a magnificent way to praise God.  I left feeling so refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to take on the world (with God's help of course)!

There was one thing that really struck me most about our time.  I realized a recurring theme throughout all of our testimonies.  Friends played one of the biggest roles in being far from God or near to him.  I thought about how blessed I have been to have good friends and how lonely I have felt when I haven't had good friends.  It made me think, what difference could I make by being a friend to the friendless?  Rather, what could God do through me if I let him?  What if I let him use me to be a refreshment and encouragement to others?

I need to overcome my pride and become a servant to others.  My concern needs to shift from the comfort of myself to the needs of others.  If I am willing to do this, I am confident that I will see much more clearly the kingdom of God constantly at work.

Thank you God for the friends that you have blessed me with at college and at home.  Thank you for how they have spurred me on toward your kingdom.  Help me to put away my pride, take on humility, and become a servant and friend to everyone that I come into contact with.

"Heavenly Father, You always amaze me.  Let your kingdom come in my world and in my life.  Give me the food I need to live through today, and forgive me as I forgive the people who wrong me.  Lead me far from temptation.  Deliver me from the evil one." - Your Love is Strong

Refocus

It does not take much to get distracted from the things that are most important in life.  Something traumatic might happen.  A few annoyances might pile up.  Or you might just get caught up in your own daily routine.

It is not difficult to pinpoint when you have lost the main focus of your life, or deviated from the purpose you are working toward.  It is difficult to figure out how to change.

As I sit back and look at my life, I feel like I know who I want to be.  I want to be a pretty, stylish sort of girl.  I want to be interesting and intriguing.  I want to be encouraging and loving.  I want to be creative and crafty.  I want to be a people person.  I want to be slightly athletic.  I want to be a thoughtful learner and reader.  But above all else, I want to be a woman defined by Christ.

Would you just look at that description of who I want be?  Maybe its becoming more obvious why I am getting so distracted.  I just create this image of who I want to be, and how I want to change, so much that I choose not to focus on where God wants me and where I need to change most.

I want to be a woman of God.  I want to be amazed and encouraged by the his word.  I want to be so focused on prayer that God is always on my mind.  I want to be so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit that I am fully convicted of sin and compelled to say no to it.  I want to be full of joy in the Lord and joy in myself so that I can focus my energy on loving and encouraging others.

Let's be real.  It's pretty hard to know where to start.  I mean, when I've fallen so behind.  How can I fully refocus and find my fulfillment in the King of Kings?  Do I start by focusing on prayer or spending time in the word?  Do I try to shift my focus to others or do I change my attitude to one of joy in the Lord?  I feel like I need to pick on place to start, but I just don't know where.  What I do know is that I will get no where by bantering about where to start!  So I'm just going to have to pick something!

Starting now, I am going to begin refocusing on prayer.  Prayer that God would motivate me.  Prayer that God would change my heart to be more concerned with him than anyone else.  Prayer that God would fill me and satisfy me more than anything in the world.  Prayer that my faith would be real and genuine.

God, seriously change me.

Keep me in prayer and remind me of you every hour.

Refocus me and satisfy me.

You are a good, good God.