How to Pursue Jesus with Your Whole Heart

I have class every day at the University that I attend. Unfortunately, the parking lot my brother and I park at feels like it’s about eight miles away from everything else. I clocked it once and it’s a little over half a mile from the nearest point of interest, and that point is still quite far away from where my classes are located.

Walking half a mile is easy if you know how to handle boredom, but that was not the problem.

The problem was the 20lb backpack I carried every day.

The walk wouldn’t be near the struggle if I did not have this huge backpack with my heavy laptop, notebooks, class notes, sometimes a big textbook, a liter of water, etc.

One of the days I was walking, it occurred to me how this was similar to sin. Sin weighs us down from running the race that God has set before us.

Now, of course the analogy breaks down at some point. I need to have my backpack with me for school, and I never need sin. However, the point remains: I cannot run a race with a heavy backpack. Neither can we expect to run the race of life with sin and other distractions weighing us down.

I love this verse so much:

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

In this guest post, I break down these verses and show how Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us exactly how to pursue Jesus with our whole hearts. It tells us what we are supposed to do, and how we are supposed to do it.

Click here for the rest of the article!

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4 Reasons Scripture Memory is Absolutely Critical to Your Walk with Christ

What if I were to tell you that I have a friend who has memorized Psalm 119--the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses?

          What if I were to tell you that that same friend has memorized the book of Ephesians?

          And the books of 1 Peter, 1 & 2 Timothy, Philippians, Colossians, Obadiah, Jonah, and Nahum.

          Not to mention the first fifteen chapters of John and the first ten chapters of Romans.
          I don't even have time to list out all that she's memorized.

          And what if I were to tell you that THIS SAME FRIEND is with us today on the blog to talk about why Scripture memory is important?

          If anyone knows anything about memorization, it’s her.

          Let me present my friend Dani to you. She just turned eighteen and lives in Alaska. She is also the founder of A Hoe In My Hand—a wonderful magazine for girls. I just received it today and loved it!

          I have long been wanting to write a post about memorizing verses because it has absolutely changed my life and has been huge in my walk with Christ.

          So I am thrilled to share an interview I held with Dani that will help you understand why Scripture memory is CRITICAL for you, and she even shared her tips and tricks for how she has memorized so much of the Bible before finishing high school in this post.

          Let’s get started then, shall we?

Glad to have you on Morning Glory, Dani! So glad to have the opportunity to pick your brain about Scripture memory. I have a big question for you: When we can just google any verse, why does it matter that we memorize them?

          “I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11) Not “googled it on my smartphone”, but “hidden it in my heart.” And that helps us not sin! How great is that?

1. Memorizing Scripture puts it directly into your head. 

          When you’ve been memorizing a passage, it will play through your head, influence your actions. It will be something you’re actively dwelling on. Psalm 1 says that the man who meditates on God’s law is blessed, but you can’t meditate on it if you don’t know it.

          “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8) When God’s word is there in your head, when it is on a live feed in your mind, you won’t be nearly as likely to act against it! It will always be there, strengthening the prompting of the Holy Spirit on your conscience!

2. Scripture is POWERFUL

          The word of the Lord is proven (Psalm 18:30). You can always trust it. It is the instruction manual for all things that pertain to life and godliness. It is given that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).

          “For the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Scripture is POWERFUL. There is no greater weapon you can wield against the attacks of Satan. (Ephesians 6:17) The voice that created the world, breathed the breath of life into man, and healed the sickness and sins of many also wove the beautiful tapestry of words that we call the Bible. Only those words have the power to break the chains of sin and death. When you memorize them, they are in you, and you can pour them out to those around you!

3. The Word of God should be our treasure

          David, the man after God’s own heart, loved the Word of the Lord, meditated on His law. Also, the writer of Psalm 119 loved the Word of God, and Psalm 119 illustrates that vividly. Just go and read the whole thing attentively. It is a love song about the Word of God! Shouldn’t we all desire to ‘be after God’s own heart’? Shouldn’t we all love Scripture in that way? When you love someone or something, you will have their every detail memorized. How much more should we treasure and memorize the Word of God?

4. Scripture is eternal

          “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will be no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) Scripture is the only thing given to us on this earth that will be enduring. Treasure it up, put your effort into it – everything else will be worthless in the end.

          When you have scripture memorized, it will always be there for you to use, while Google might not always be. I often think about the persecuted Christians both in the past and present who didn’t have the written Word directly available to them, but had huge portions memorized, and so were still comforted through the Scriptures, able to share the light of the gospel with those around them, and still growing through the nurture of His Word. That benefit was one that was pointed out to me by my Sunday School teacher back when I was 10 years old, and it has stuck!

          “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6) 
          God’s Words are so much better than any other words we could have in our minds! Why would you even want something else there?

Dani is an Alaskan MK who loves the Lord with all her heart. A large part of her childhood has been spent competitively memorizing Scripture through the National Bible Bee. She has seen the immense blessing of the Lord in her life through it, and wants to share that blessing with others in whatever way possible. In her spare time, she does school, learns languages, and practices piano, violin, viola, or various other instruments. She also heads up a team of girls that publish A Hoe In My Hand magazine.

 

          Thanks so much for your wonderful words of wisdom, Dani! I think you can tell that her mind is full of Scripture by just how many verses she referenced! Check this post for tips and tricks for HOW to memorize the Word of God. And don't forget to check out A Hoe in My Hand!

Until then, let's chat girls! Do you memorize Scripture? Why do you memorize? What have been the greatest benefits of Scripture memory? Share in the comments!

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Pursuing Jesus Through Purity: Part 3

Last Monday and Friday, I posted the first three points for Adam Tyson’s breakout session entitled, “Pursuing Purity in an Impure World” as well as my comments on what I learned for each point. See Monday’s post HERE and Fridays’ post HERE.

Here is Point 4 along with my thoughts! Hope y’all enjoyed the series and take a moment to leave a comment!

“³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵ not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; ⁶ and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. ⁷ For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. ⁸ So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

4.     Honor and serve other people (vs. 6)

“…and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.”

I must not transgress my brother. By either purposefully or accidentally compromising my purity or someone else’s or both, I am sinning against God AND another person. Even if you like someone and he likes you back, you are both sinning against each other if you use each other for selfish pleasure, security, etc.

I talked about these on Monday already, but I’m going to say it again.

WRONG QUESTION: How far is too far?

RIGHT QUESTION: How far can I run? How holy can I be?

We must be pure…in thoughts

            See The Springboard Approach by Liza Grace for more practical tips in this area.

There’s a difference between appreciating beauty and lusting. And by lusting, I mean wanting and trying to get something that doesn’t belong to you at the expense of another person for your pleasure. This can include wanting attention, affirmation, security, touch, the thrill of romance, etc.

Ladies, one of the very common ways a girl can get herself into trouble in her thoughts and emotions—and eventually body—is by putting herself into vulnerable situations. Don’t ever be alone with another guy in a room. Even if you trust him. Be wise. When you are in a tempting situation and your emotions are involved, it is very hard to resist. So don’t put yourself in a tempting situation.

Remember: succumbing to temptation isn’t worth it.

We must be pure in…dress

Don’t unnecessarily cause others to stumble. Sometimes we dress immodestly ignorantly and other times with full awareness. I found my brothers, parents, and The Modesty Survey (which I believe has been taken down) by The Rebelution to be extremely helpful as I decide what to buy and wear.

As Adam Tyson put it, “Clothes are meant to conceal, not reveal.”

Whenever you want to wear a questionable item of clothing, ask yourself, “Am I wearing this to conceal or reveal?”

Do you wear clothes to attract attention or respect?

In the long run, both you and the people around you will benefit more from you dressing modestly. Ultimately, of course, guys are responsible for their thoughts. However, as their sisters in Christ, it is our duty to try and help them out in any way possible—especially in a culture like ours. 

Remember, the guys you will attract by immodesty are not the kind of guys you want to marry.

Godly guys appreciate, respect, and admire modesty.

One thing I discovered from The Modesty Survey was that almost all guys agreed that, while the clothes do matter, it’s more about the way we act. A girl who wears completely modest clothing but who acts inappropriate can be more of a stumbling block than a girl who acts modestly but unintentionally wears immodest clothing.

Modesty is a heart issue. While I recommend evaluating your wardrobe, I would more strongly encourage you to evaluate your heart.

Wrapping up…

Some final thoughts that Adam Tyson shared was that we should fear the wrath of God because He is an avenger of evil (vs. 6). We are also called to remember our purpose as Christians (vs. 7) , that we should love Christ more. Trust and obey what God says because He knows what’s best. He has a vantage point that I don’t and my sin will have real consequences. It is worth far more (both now and in eternity) to trust Him and not indulge in sin.

Finally, I must yield myself to the Holy Spirit (vs. 8). It’s the Holy Spirit that gives me strength and power to live pure!

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

1 Corinthians 10:13

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Matthew 5:8

What are your thoughts on purity and pursuing purity in thought life and dress? Any stories to share? Share in the comments! Also feel free to discuss things that you do/don’t agree with in the comment section! 

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