Two for Tuesday :Obedience

                                   Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

   Romans 6:16New International Version (NIV)
¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Read :  John 14:15 - 14:21. Bonus Verses : Romans 5:19 ,  Hebrews 5:9

As a kid I never wanted to wear shoes (unless it was plastic heels, but that's another story entirely). This is a practice that has followed me into adulthood. I can remember growing up and my dad always insisting I wear shoes. As a child I felt he was sucking the fun out of feeling the grass and dirt. Shoes were a restriction I didn't want to deal with, and that often led to disobedience on my part. My dad would tell me to put shoes on, (and if I'm honest) I would try to sneak past him without the required footwear. I paid the consequences when I stepped on a rusty nail that almost went through the top of my foot (also another story for a different time).
 Now I'm  "grown" and my dad no longer chides me to wear shoes - okay sometimes but not as consistently . The other day I was helping my mama outside and stepped on something that caused pain but I couldn't find the source. Once inside I had to remove a billion (okay more like five) shards of whatever I stepped on.

 The point is, I often see rebellious teenagers and think glad I was never like that towards my parents. It's true I never went out and partied or did drugs or got arrested. But disobedience runs deeper than that. It's a heart issue. Me ignoring my fathers warnings all those years, they led me to some trouble.

 I have this tendency to do the same for my Heavenly Father. He gives me a command and for the most part I will TRY and follow it. However my heart is not always in it.......disobedience is subtly sometimes. I have to learn to follow God with ALL my heart, that includes those tiny little things I don't think matter but do. You see any disobedience is disobedience at large.

  ^" If ye love me, keep my commandments." Jesus said. He is asking for my obedience and in fact my heart. What better way to show you love God (and your parents) than to obey them. Because just like my dad knew I needed shoes to protect my feet, God knows what will cause me harm in the future.
Forever &Always,
Emily

Prayer

This is a beautiful prayer by Debbie Kay. Pray this over yourself and a loved one or friend :)

Life Update

 I know I haven't wrote in awhile, and I know exactly why. I have been thinking about what I want from my life, whether I want to make others happy and do what is expected of me. Or do I want to pursue life in my own messy way. My sister was so wise when she said (or mumbled) "Just pick something and do it." That's where I get stuck - just making a solid concrete decision. I could try it out and always revise my course of action but I let fear control me. My not so closet fear is fear itself. Somehow even as a child of God I let Fear boss me around and tell me that I am limited. I doubt myself , I doubt my writing ability. I doubt every action I take everyday. The saddest part is my fear controls me but it affects the ones I love!

 I have these dreams for my life, and I'm what's holding me back.
I wonder whether I could cut it as an author, can I truly discipline myself to write everyday and then send my work out to be judged??
 Could I get a part-time job to earn money towards my goal of off grid-living? Am I willing to put in the time to research and learn the skills I need?
 Should I just go back to college and work towards a degree and a career??
These are the thoughts that plague me constantly. I am not sure how to choose what is best, what is God's will. I have been praying for answers and been confronted with silence. So the question of the day is can I make a choice and once I do, can I live with that decision . What's best for me and would be the most God honoring choice.........

Two for Tuesday: Trusting God

                                    Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God ; in him will I trust. Psalm 91:2 

Trust in him at all times: ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8 


I think it makes it easier to trust God if we learn to " pour out your heart before him" . I love that verse! To me it speaks volumes about how God cares about our lives, so much so that he asks us to pour out our hearts to him. Dreams , fears, hopes for the future, pain over the past, ugly sins , bad attitudes, whatever burdens the heart. We can lay it all at his feet, pouring it all out ,even the darkest parts of ourselves. Giving Him the contents of our hearts does not change God, he knows it all anyway. It changes us! It changes how we view Him. He transforms from a far away deity to an up close and personnel Heavenly Father who knows us; and if he knows us we can trust Him with our life. We can trust His choices for the future and He becomes a  " refuge for us".

Charles F Stanley says " Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees."

May you trust God with your life and your decisions!

Forever & Always ,
Emily

Two for Tuesday : Love

                              Image courtesy of Clare Bloomfield at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Every Tuesday I am going to post two Bible verses on the same subject (example : kindness , peace , compassion).

 This week I chose Love .

 He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love , not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1 John 4:8-11 ( emphasis mine) 

 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18 ( emphasis mine)

Bonus verse : Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. 1 John 3:1 

Forever & Always,
Emily

 

Bible Doodle : Hooked on Jesus

Today I worked on what I call my Bible art journal. I just bought a new sketch book (woohoo!) . I decided to do my Bible Journaling in an art book for multiple reasons : I am not an artist and need the option to erase; I also read in my Bible daily and while the art in it would be lovely, not sure its practical (would be if you were using it only for art). So with new sketch book in hand I plopped down on my carpet and pulled up my pinterest ideas (I have a whole board to choose from).
This is what became of that :

 

Now like I said I had pinterest inspiration in the form of this :

 

This site as amazing doodle tutorials . You can check it out here :https://1arthouse.wordpress.com/

 

This specific doodle holds meaning for me because I love to fish. I don't get to very often but I can tell you it is something I enjoy immensely. Every time we show up to our favorite family spot, I instantly relax. I don't know what it is but I just can't be stressed or worried while I'm fishing. Maybe it's the setting or the fact that I can concentrate on something solid instead of my ideas. 

Also a pretty cool connection since Jesus had disciples who were professional fisherman.(Luke 5:1-11)  

 

Forever & Always ,

Emily                                                                                                                                                                                      

Ten Prayer God Always Says Yes To

 

Beautiful Prayer by Anthony DeStefano

I declare with confidence that this prayer is ours, these are the things God is going to bless us with!

 

Forever & Always,                                                                                                                                

 Emily Buchans                                                                                                                                   

Book Review : Unafraid by Susie Davis

Before we start I would like it noted that I am in no way , shape or form being confiscated for this review. The following is my own opinion.

 Unafraid : Trusting God in an Unsafe World by Susie Davis.

I actually bought this book for one paragraph excerpt from the book that is on the back cover:
 "Though I don't know where your fears started or how deep they sit in your soul , I do know this: Fear is a heavy burden. One of the heaviest you can carry. It's exhausting and overwhelming. And it's not from God."

I knew that's where I was at, totally exhausted with not only dealing with fear but fighting it on my own. This book was such an encouragement to my soul. If you are a fear-er ( a term from the book) like me and the author ; than let me tell you this book is what you need. Susie Davis walks you through her life and fears, making you feel like you're not alone in these feelings. But she slowly points out why as children of God we were never meant to live like this. Fear-ers have to learn to trust God and depend on him for safety.

 I never expected to feel so connected to a book, it was like reading my secret thoughts, right there in print.

If you find yourself consumed by fear and anxiety: this book is Amazing!

On a ending note here is part of the book I highlighted to give you a sneak peek:
 "Because fear is not beautiful - it is dark and ugly. An oppressive master. A gruesome monster. The lure of safety ends in unfaithfulness to God. When I give myself over to the what-ifs and oh - nos, I am a whore for worry. A harlot for fear.So I must do something brave and uncustomary. I must live my life without these big, forceful ideas of culture that say, " Be safe. Be careful." And I must break open the box of my perceived safety and spill it all over Christ's feet. Emptying all I am and all I hold dear to God alone." 

Forever and Always,
Emily

Grace for Mondays

               The Lord will hear when I call unto Him. Psalm 4:3
Mondays and I have a love - hate relationship. In the sense that I love to hate Mondays. Monday and me have never gotten along, the day just never goes right for me. Never! Something might break, or I'll forget to do things that are important. If I had to take a guess at the day the world ends, I would say Monday. The struggle is real, and Mondays often turn emotional.
 What I hadn't realized was Mondays are a perfect day for Grace. I'm independent, so it is hard for me to lean into the grace and mercy that Jesus is so willing to give. Mondays present a struggle for me and Jesus offers grace for the day. He calls out to my burdened heart, showing me through Scripture that He is here for me...for You.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:2)

The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion ; slow to anger, and of great mercy. (Psalm 145:8 . Emphasis mine)

God knows each of us better than we know ourselves. So he knows that I find more of Him and grace on Monday; than I often do on a church attending Sunday.I believe he planned it that way. Because God meets us right where we are, right here in the now. My Savior meets an emotional me on my worst day, and He is willing to meet you wherever you are also!! Whether you are a Monday loather like me or maybe you're lonely and need a friend, perhaps you're stressed and need peace. Whatever you're going through, let Jesus meet you there. I promise He will show up in the most unexpected ways.

This song is one of my favorites :
http://open.spotify.com/track/1sfSQ2d6rTsCSQ2cbBIj8r

Forever & Always,
Emily Buchans

I want to extend a warm welcome to my blog. Hello there!! (This is where I virtually high five you ).

 My hope is that this blog will encourage and minister to young women of my generation. Through  God's grace I pray we will grow and become a generation set apart. My Theme verse for this blog is:We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19). God is amazing, I believe he gives us Hope for a new day, new week, new month and new years. In His divine grace He knew we would need hope for new beginnings. This Hope anchors our soul in times of trouble.

 I would love to get to know anyone who visits here, please leave comments and lets converse.

Forever and Always,
Emily Buchans