New Posts – Page 15

Stop Limiting God

/ Goals, The Journey / 25 Comments

Back in June, I wrote a post titled, “I’m not qualified”, about how we quickly believe the lie that we are not qualified for any leadership role. Think back to this key statement: God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. Do you still feel unqualified? Maybe the root problem is that we limit God. We don’t believe that he can qualify us.

Has God put something on your heart to do, but you have pushed those thoughts away?

Maybe you doubt God’s power to make you qualified. Maybe you keep telling yourself that God could never make you more_____(Fill in the blank.)

Friends, stop telling yourself lies. (more…)

7 Ways to Pursue Jesus in College

/ Christian in College, College / 6 Comments

Pursuing Jesus in college is difficult, but it is worth every hardship. You are not alone in this journey. There will be other Christians on your campus, you just have to find them! Here are 7 ways to pursue Jesus during this time of transitioning to college: (more…)

Transitioning to College While Keeping Your Faith

/ Christian in College, College / 12 Comments

Transitioning to college is a time of change and challenge. The biggest challenge is keeping your faith alive.

College is a time when students are searching for themselves and trying to figure out their worldviews, religious beliefs, dreams, passions, and more. These years are very important in your walk with God. Statistically speaking, freshmen are more open to the gospel than any other year in college. 85% of those who receive Christ do so before the age of 19.

That is a huge number! Think of how influential you are to someone else’s faith journey in college. You could help bring someone from life to death. But this isn’t possible if you turn away from God.

If you don’t make your faith your own now, the world will quickly pull you away from God. (more…)

10 Tips for an Effective Quiet Time

/ Dear Friend Series, Relationship with Jesus, Resources, The Journey / 1 Comment

During busy seasons of life, spending time with God can be forgotten and easily pushed aside. Here are 10 ways to help you have a more effective quiet time.

Find your spot. Find a quiet spot, or a spot where you can focus.
Only bring what you need. Bring your Bible, journal, pen, and maybe a devotional book. Leave your computer at home because it can easily become a distraction.
Plan. Plan it into your schedule. Set a specific time and length each day.
Start with prayer. Ask God to give you wisdom to understand the scripture you read, and to help you focus on him.
Journal. Write down what God shows you. As you read scripture, God will teach you things. Write them down so you do not forget them. Write the verses out. This will help you learn the verse, and be able to look back later when God feels distant. (For more about journaling, read Why journal?)
Praise God. Worship God for who he is.
Thank God. Thank God for who he is and what he has done.
Confess your sins. Ask God to reveal any sins that are hurting your relationship with him.
Write things down. Write out your prayers and answered prayers. You can look back and see how God was faithful.
Close in prayer.

The summer is only half way over, so don’t give up! Pursue Jesus and purse spending time with him. I’ll be right there with you. =]

Join me in finding joy in the journey.

Save

Do you value Jesus because He is useful or because He is beautiful?

/ Devotional, Relationship with Jesus, The Journey / Comments Off

Lately, I’ve been asking myself why I value Jesus. Do I value him because he is useful or because he is beautiful?

It is easy to forget about the beauty of Jesus, and it is even easier to focus on your own needs and desires.

To figure out why I value Jesus, I went to my journal and looked at what I’ve been praying for. None of my recent prayers have been thanking Jesus or admiring Jesus. They have been about me and my wants.

Jesus, help my friend love me.
Jesus, help me rid my addiction to sugar.
Jesus, use me to further your kingdom.

Jesus, help me. Jesus, help me. Jesus, help me.

I’m selfish.

(more…)

Flee From Sin, Even If It Leaves You In Your Underwear

/ Body Image and Self Worth, Christian in College, College, My Guest Posts / Comments Off

Hey friends!

I hope summer is going well for you all. I am currently working as a counselor at a camp called SYI, the Summer Youth Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. I’m having a wonderful time! Today we got to go dragon boating down the river! It also made my day when I found out I had a blog post published on XXXchurch.com! I’m super excited about this. The ministry helps with porn addiction recovery. They are a growing ministry and I’m excited to be a part of it.

To read my post, click the link: Follow Joseph Out the Door: A Modern Bible Story

follow-joseph-out-the-door---modern-bible-story-blog

Thanks for all the support from all of you who read my blog and follow me on social media. I hope this post encourages you to flee from temptation in all areas of sin.

10 Tips for Setting Goals & Sticking to them!

/ Goals, Resources / 12 Comments

I always thought I was good at setting goals. I’m organized and great at making lists, but that is all my goals were: an organized list. I am great at starting something, but horrible at finishing it. That is why I started the June Goal Challenge. (Click here to read “Tired of giving up on goals?)

God has taught me powerful life lessons through the June Goal Challenge, and I wanted to share these insights with you. Here are 10 tips for setting goals & sticking to them: (more…)

Do you idolize your mentor?

/ Approval, Christian in College, College, Discipleship, The Journey / 3 Comments

During my freshman year at USF, I began to meet with an older women in Cru, a college ministry. She prepared lessons for me and helped me in my walk with Christ. I loved our discipleship time together. As a freshman, I had recently surrendered my life to Christ, so I was very excited to learn. Every word she spoke to me I held on to as if it was gold. I made her an idol. When the year ended, she left and I was devastated.

Our friendship was one of the most helpful, but also the most harmful, during these early stages of my walk with the Lord. Thankfully, Jesus made me realize the problem, and used everything to bring Him glory.

I hope to help you figure out now if you are in a similar situation before the problem gets worse.

Here are 4 ways to figure out if you idolize a friend, mentor, or leader in your life: (more…)

I’m Not Qualified | The Biggest Lie Women Believe

/ Approval, Believing Lies, Devotional, Goals, Resources, The Journey / 33 Comments

“I’m not qualified.”

In my opinion, this is the biggest lie that women believe when they’re thinking about doing ministry or joining a leadership team.

This thought first entered my mind when I was in high school.

I was trying to figure out what God was calling me to do. I was confused, unsure, and it did not help that people always asked me, “What do you want to do when you grow up?”

Adults frequently ask this question. In high school, kids are between 14-18 years old. How do they expect someone to know what he or she wants to do for the rest of his or her life at such a young age?

During my 10th grade year of high school, I started to get the call that God wanted me to go into ministry. What ministry has meant to me has changed over the years, but I knew two things: that I wanted to help people and that God was pretty cool. Combining those two things seemed like a perfect option! But I believed a lie that I was not qualified.

So, when I was asked that question, I felt embarrassed to share with others my heart desire for my career, so I would always reply, “Orthodontist.”

This was the safest way to go. If I would say, “I don’t know.” Then, I would get additional questions, “Well, what is your favorite subject? Did you like math? How about teaching? Etc… Thus, I realized the safest thing to do was reply, “Orthodontist.” There were no follow up questions, just a nod of agreement and maybe an encouraging statement.

For a high schooler, it is extremely difficult to fully trust God with this subject. It is difficult to share with others when you are not 100% sure that this is what you will do. Students also worry about what others will think of their choice. I worried people would not understand or try and talk me out of it.

When I was thinking about going into ministry, I believed the lie that one had to be perfect. How could I help people in their walks with God when I was not perfect?

Again, when I was asked to lead a Bible study in Cru my freshman year of college I did not want to step up and lead because I thought I was not qualified. How can I lead other women when I have my own issues to work through?

It is common to respond to God by saying, “I can’t. I’m not qualified.” I’ve heard this in high school. I’ve heard this in college.

My response now is, “Well what is qualified? Name one person in the Bible who was qualified.”

Abraham lied about Sarah.
Moses stuttered.
Noah was a drunk.
Jacob was a liar.
Joseph was abused by his brothers.
Rahab was a prostitute.
Jeremiah was said to be too young.
David had an affair.
Elijah was suicidal.
The Samaritan woman had multiple divorces.
Jonah ran away from God.
Peter denied Jesus.
The disciples fell asleep while praying.
And there are more examples found all over scripture!

Friends, if you are thinking of going into ministry, leading a Bible study, or joining the leadership team at your church, I want you to remember one thing: God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.

Save

She is Set Apart

/ Guest Posts / 1 Comment

Hola friends! I’m super excited that Tierraney Richardson is sharing her story today.

I love Tierraney’s passion for Jesus and the way she is trying to fulfill God’s purpose for her life daily. She just created a new ministry, She is Set Apart. I’m so excited to see all the fruit and life change from it. Be sure to subscribe to her blog.

Enjoy the post below!

Many women have a story that goes something like, “I used to be in and out of relationships with men seeking validation until I realized that this isn’t working, so I sought the Lord and learned to base my identity in Christ.” However, my story is quite the opposite.

I had never been in a relationship and never had a boyfriend and for years I was ashamed of this. While I had high self-esteem, I never shared this information out of fear that someone would think something was wrong with me. I was the girl who was never asked to prom or dances. None of the boys ever took interest in me, and the few that did I was not at all interested in. I was ashamed of all of this.

In June 2012, I found out about an amazing organization for women titled, Pinky Promise Movement. One day I was randomly on twitter and I saw a re-tweet of something by Heather Lindsey. I ended up finding Heather’s blog and was immediately hooked. Heather would post things online to singles like, “You are set apart…. you’re hidden by Christ.” Before that I never looked at my life of singleness in that way.

Two years later, I read a book by Alyssa Joy Bethke and Robin Jones Gunn called Spoken For. In this book Alyssa talks about how she spent her life never dating until she met her now husband Jeff Bethke. Hearing Alyssa’s story and reading Heather’s tweets liberated me knowing that others empathized with me and could relate. I began to embrace that I am a rare and treasured jewel that God is saving for only His best. I learned that I am wanted and that the God of this universe loves me and that I do not need another flawed human to love me or the title of someone’s girlfriend to make me feel valued and important.

If you can relate to my story here is some encouragement:

In Job 2:3 God says, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on Earth like him; he is blameless and upright who fears God and shuns evil.” Now if you read the book of Job in its entirety and this passage specifically you will know that God is actually saying this to Satan. God was telling Satan about Job’s character. Job was a great man of God.

However, you can also apply this scripture to your current situation. If you feel discouraged in you current season of singleness know that you are God’s princess. As you continue to seek God daily you he will develop Christlike character within you. Keep striving to be a true Proverbs 31 woman one day he will open the eyes of your Ephesians 5 man. Just as he described the character of Job he will be revealing your character to your one day spouse saying, have you considered my servant, there is no one on Earth like her. She is blameless and upright and a women who fears God and shuns evil.

Satan wants you to feel unloved and unwanted but we must continue to remind ourselves of God’s truth – that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, we are a peculiar treasure, we are hidden and we are set apart.

10276996_10203946627016627_5531816416603107109_n

Bio: My name is Tierraney. I am a Texas born & raised 20-something year old. While I am totally obsessed with the color pink I am even more so obsessed with Jesus Christ. I currently teach 3rd grade Math to underprivileged children in Houston. Learning how I have been set apart inspired me to create a ministry for other women to learn how they are set apart.