Confession No. 21: I Need a System For Learning More About God

I am not what you would consider an "organized / systems kind of girl", but I desperately want to be. I long for the day, when I can make a schedule and stick to it or create a to-do list and knock everything off of that list within the same day. I have found that I often accomplish more in my life when I take the time to lay it down before the Lord and allow Him to guide my steps. Because of this, I've decided that I MUST carve out (demand, make room for, insist on) alone time with God daily. I want to make sure that I am creating every possible opportunity to hear God's gentle whispers to my heart. I'm looking forward to cutting out things in my life in order to make room for THE only thing in my life that can quiet the raging noises of this world. I've committed my life to knowing and serving Him, yet I've done such a poor job of making room for my King.

My New Bible Study System:

OK, so the first thing that I feel God is calling me to is a more systematic and committed approach to learning about Him. My current Bible study time is random in frequency and content. I listen to new sermon podcasts a few days a week, go to a weekly Bible study on Sunday nights, read 2-3 daily e-mail devotionals, and lately in the evenings I've been reading through the daily readings of the Bible on YouVersion for my iPhone. For all of the effort that I'm putting in, I don't feel to be making much progress. The good side of all of this is that God often speaks to me through my study. The bad side is that I never dig deep enough into any certain area of the Bible to experience significant spiritual growth. I've read through or at least listened to most of the Bible in the past, but all knowledge gained was only surface level. Since realizing this, I requested help from some of my friends on Twitter and here are some of the great comments that I received:

• kristyneyland@empowered How bout the reading plans@ www.biblegateway.com under "Resources". I'm a random reader2. Its something new everyday =) haha
• jthom18@empowered I'm not an evangelical,but this is a great book nonetheless: http://is.gd/szXu. I recommend it to many of my evangelical friends.
• melonymckaye@empowered here's a great site to help www.bibleplan.org
• lilenrgzrbunny@empowered start at the beginning and do one book at a time, or do a read through the bible in a year program.
• mom2giqm@empowered I usually pick a book or a section of the Bible and read thru it, not all in one sitting, but read each book like a book.
• BarbPruitt@empowered try doing a study like on a topic or character or a book study.. makes it more interesting...
• truedaughters@empowered 4 the 1st time I'm doing The One Year Bible published by Tyndale, many transl to choose from, old, new, psalm & prov. each day
• HeartforHim@empowered I use a read through the Bible in a year Bible that has passages from the OT, NT, Psalms, and Proverbs.
• blogomama@empowered Not very systematic but if there's an issue I'm struggling with God seems to turn me to just the right page.

Wow! So much great advice and definitely enough to give me the inspiration to get going. With all of this in mind, I've decided that a great start for me is to study books of the Bible. I've purchased The Bible for Blockheads from Wal-mart to give me a little bit of background information on each book. (such as info about the author, the time period, an overview of the main topics, etc.) I'll read through this before I start each new book. I'll also be sure to listen to podcast sermons that relate to the book I'm reading... a great way to get more insight into what God may be trying to show me. One of the biggest changes that I'll be making is being sure to take time to meditate on, soak in, and apply what I'm learning. Rather than just reading through my Bible, I will allow my Bible to read me. (allowing God to show me what changes I need to make in my life as a result of His Word). I'm super excited about this. Only God knows the changes that are about to occur inside of me.

I'll be starting with the book of John. Want to join me? E-mail me at anna@empoweredmagazine.com!

Confession No. 20: I Heart Romance Movies

In honor of Valentines Day, my Twitter friends and I created a list of our fave romance movies. There's no better day to hit up your local Blockbuster and grab a bag of popcorn for an all out movie love fest!

1. Wedding Singer


2. When Harry Met Sally


3. The Notebook


4. How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days


5. You've Got Mail (Gotta Love Meg & Tom Together)


6. Sleepless In Seattle (Gotta Love Meg & Tom Together)
   
7. Definitely Maybe
   
8. Never Been Kissed


9. Two Weeks Notice


10. Emma


11. Ever After


12. Pride & Prejudice


13. Princess Bride


14. A Walk To Remember


15. Elizabeth Town


16. Titanic


17. Thirteen Going on Thirty


18. Hope Floats


19. Sense & Sensibility


20. Sweet Home Alabama


21. Music & Lyrics


22. Just Friends


23. Breakfast At Tiffany's


24. Shallow Hal


25. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind


26. Singing In The Rain


27. What Women Want


28. Pretty Woman


29. Shakespeare In Love


30. While You Were Sleeping


31. Ghost


32. Mr. & Mrs. Smith


33. Singing In The Rain


34. The Way We Were


35. The Sound of Music


36. Dirty Dancing


37. Pretty In Pink


38. Beauty & The Beast


39. Anastasia
    
40. Family Man

There is no way we could make a list like this and leave out The Passion. There is no greater love than the love that God has poured out on His people. There is no one else who will ever love you more lavishly or more completely than Jesus. He knows and loves absolutely everything about your complex personality. Your mistakes do not surprise Him and your sincerest efforts could never possibly repay Him, but through His sacrifice, you have been perfected. When He sees you, He sees pieces of Himself. He made you an original, one-of-a-kind, work of art. He calls you His masterpiece and He deeply relishes in your beauty. He sees beyond your potential, past all of your pitfalls and into the deepest desires of your heart. He earnestly longs to be all you’ll ever need or want. He wants more than your heart! He wants ALL of your attention. All of your passion. He wants all of YOU!

...So, did we miss any movies that you think should be added to the list? What's your favorite? Leave your comments to help this list continue to grow.

If you liked this list, follow me on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/empowered

Confession No. 19: The Battle Is On

Did you know that there is a spiritual battle going on right now for your soul? God has already won the war through Christ’s shed blood, but the enemy spends his time trying to convince us otherwise.

Today is day 17 of the new healthier me. Almost three weeks ago I set out on a journey to set boundaries in my life related to my personal health and eating habits. I’ve been feeling God nudging me to make these changes for a while now, but I always seemed to have an excuse as to why I needed to put it off. Anyway, the changes that have occurred over the past few weeks have been phenomenal! I’ll be sharing them over the next couple of weeks with you, but for today, I just wanted to let you know that I’m learning that God did not give us the law just to judge us by it, but to give us a clear picture on how to live in a way that honors and glorifies Him. Jesus said that He did not come to judge the world, but to save it. As I experience His saving power, I’m also becoming more aware of the battle that is going on within myself as well as in the spiritual realm. Everyday I struggle with the choices that I know the Lord is calling me to. I feel the enemy luring me to my old destructive habits and I ask myself, “How can I stay in the fight?” The Bible gives us a simple answer in Ephesians 6:10-20…

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[c] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[d] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[e] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.[f] 19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.[g] 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

Confession No. 17: I Wanted To Hear From God

How do you hear from God? I spent much of 2008 wanting to hear more from Him. One of the deepest cries of my heart is that I would have a real life relationship with my father. I tried everything last year, until I finally realized that He has already given us a glimpse into His world through Christ. Jesus is the living word of God and as we read the Bible we can still hear God speaking to us today. “When you received the word of God…from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is…the word of God” (1Th 2:13 NKJV)

When I started looking at the Bible as actual words from God to His people, the text took on entirely new meanings. We have clear instructions on how to live, love, and serve our King. Through His word we can hear His gentle whispers to our souls.The next time you open up the word, don't just read it, but allow it to read you.

Allow God to speak to you and He will transform you from the inside out. That's what happens in relationships. The more time we spend with people, the more and more we start to look and act like them. Remeber that the Bible is the stethascope that allows us to hear God's heart, so grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair, because He has some clear-cut instructions that He wants to share with you.

Confession No. 16: I'm Dealing With Perfection Infection

Perfection, like pride, can destroy our sincerest efforts to please the heart of God. Before a job interview my mom once told me that I needed to do something unique to help myself stand out over the 11 other applicants... Thus started my addiction to over-complicating, overworking, over thinking, out-performing, don't stop till you can't go anymore life. The night before the interview, I worked till the sun came up. I had created a brilliant presentation and had the job less than a week later. It was great advice, but it has hindered me in so many ways since then.

It sometimes feels like everything that I do now has to be over the top. The really horrible side to this is that I am often slow to make progress. A lot of my good ideas never get launched (because I'm waiting for them to be great) and my relationship with God often seems performance based rather than based on HIS grace. My confession for today is that I want to be healed from my Perfection Infection. I want to be more satisfied with God than I want to be perfect. I want to remember that HE doesn't love me because of how much I do for Him. I want to rest in His presence knowing that He loves me as much on my worst day as He does on my best day. I want to be satisfied with Him alone. I want to live a life that truly says I believe that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

Confession No. 15: I Was Living In The Fast Lane

In our chaotic and fast paced world, people usually think that faster is better. Shorter lines, quicker commutes, and fast food is often a necessity for busy families...

but what happens when our shortcuts cause us to miss out on what God wants to say to us? Rather than spending time allowing God's word to penetrate our spirits to create lasting change and a pure heart for Him alone, we settle for short inspirational quotes on His promises. Oh His promises! (sigh) We love to memorize them and pull them up when life gets us down. The only problem with this is we tend to leave out everything that comes before and after the promises.

Here is an example: Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

For years I stopped right after the part that says God has plans on giving me a hope and a future. In doing this, I was totally missing the part that tells me I need to seek Him with all of my heart. Our life with God cannot be lived in the fast lane. Living a life that pleases Him takes time. Time spent with Him and in His word. If you've been living your life in the fast lane too, pull over to the side of the road. It's not too late to evaluate where your life is headed and get back on track. Your father does have amazing plans for you, but you'll need to slow down enough to let him tell you about them.

Confession No. 18: I'm Praying With My Eyes Open

Have you ever wondered what God looks like? If the Earth is his footstool (Matthew 5:35) and he created millions of galaxies, then I'm positive that we don't have the mental capacity to imagine how huge He is. In my effort to reignite my prayer life, I once asked a few people who I know and trust the following questions: "What do you imagine when you pray?" What does God look like when you close your eyes to talk to Him?"

I thought that if I could just picture Him, then surely I would be able to communicate with Him better. Some of the responses worked for a while, but I still struggled with lack of focus and drifting thoughts during my time with Him. My problem was that I didn't realize that God is really really real. He is always with us. He is not something that we just dream up and trying to create a mental image of God is almost like the Israelites creating a golden calf to worship. (No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God,[a] is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. John 1:18)

God is bigger than our hearts can contain and we must continually pursue more of Him in our lives, but making up some imaginary image of Him is not the answer to this. We must trust that God has revealed himself through His son. If you want to see God, then study Jesus. God lives within us and is omnipresent (present in all places at all times )... So my confession today is that I'm no longer praying with my eyes closed. God still lives and he is as close as your next breath. You are never alone. He is with you everywhere - every minute of everyday. Take time to acknowledge Him and start praying with your eyes wide open - He is here and He hears you.