and therefore I have not been posting a lot. I had the conviction from the Lord that I spent too much time getting blog posts together and reading blogs. I have therefore come to the realization that my real life is more important ;meaning spending time with the Lord, family and friends matters more than blogging. Then our camera cord went missing, so I have not been able to even post pictures. I believe it was the Lord telling me to lay off on putting together sewing/fun posts for the blog. I believe I want to have my blog do a 90 degree turn and focus totally on spiritual matters and to encourage ladies to seek the Lord daily and to focus on what matters most our relationships with the Lord God of the universe.
I have found that by not reading blogs every single day I can spend more time in prayer and Bible reading, getting school done, and spending time with my family and friends. Building relationships in the real world, instead of building up my blog to please my readers is my new goal. I feel as though I always felt I had to impress others with my blog, but now I feel that blogging should not be my first priority. I have read many blogs lately where bloggers were also doing the same and stepping away from the blogs for a little bit or just not posting or not going online in general as often as they used to. I have found I too was addicted to the internet! Which is not cool! Instead of going to my Savior first thing in the morning I was going to the computer! This is not healthy. Ladies I was always a mess if I did not go to my Savior instead of the internet. I found no fulfillment and joy after spending more time on the internet than with my Savior!
I should want to be more and more in love with my Savior and not more and more in love with another bloggers life style or how many things they sew or how great their garden is. I should not set other bloggers up on a pedestal, but go to God first for encouragement and then to other people. I was going to blogs for encouragement instead of my Savior. So ladies I would challenge you to pray more than you read blogs, to read the Word more than spending time on Facebook, and spend more time talking to a friend in person about God than doing emails or texting. But I have to say I have made a lot of friends through blogging. So don't throw it out all together, just don't spend hours of each day wishing you were one of those bloggers with the beautiful home or that amazing home sewn garment. Spend your days improving your own relationships in your real life. Blogs were my way of escaping the troubles I had, but now I give up those troubles to Christ and He gives me much more comfort.
Now don't get me wrong I still sometimes spend too much time reading blogs or on facebook, but now that I am aware of this I am trying to make amends and fight the temptation to let real life slide and spend too much time in the virtual world.And for the record blogs can be a great source of encouragement, I have been reading two particular blogs more than other blogs because they focus on Christ. They are a source of spiritual encouragement for me. I also don't believe its bad to post about your daily life, such as gardening, sewing, etc. I just feel the need for myself to focus this blog on what I need most, God.
I still enjoy reading many sewing, life blogs, but feel the conviction for my blog to be a spiritual encouragement blog.
I have been pondering these words from the WORD since yesterday and they are a comfort.
John 8:31-38
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave [2] to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
I have found that when I spend a good long time in my closet with the WORD and my God I am convicted of so many things and comforted by his words to me. These words I bolded above about being free because of the truth really stuck out to me yesterday. It also says in verse 34 that if you are a slave to sin you will not remain forever, but if you are free in Christ you will be with the Son forever. Praise God Christ set us free from sin through the cross.
As I tried to study for my voice lesson yesterday and sing, I was having difficulty singing the new way my vocal teacher is teaching me to sing. My voice wanted to go back to the old way of singing with my chest voice instead of my head voice. This is a great picture of when we become free in Christ we sometimes are tempted to go back to the old way of sin, but praise God Christ helps us learn how to trust Him and learn a new way of living free from sin.
I will leave you all with this song which has been a favorite of mine for a while to listen to to get my heart right before studying the WORD. I am so thankful for the Lord convicting me recently even more that prayer is really so important, I have always prayed to the Lord, but many a time I did not pray for fellow believers. I have been really encouraged by others praying for me, so I would encourage you ladies to pray for others as well. Pray is so powerful! As it says in the WORD it is sharper than a two edged sword and can go through joint and marrow. It can peirce through even the cold heart of one who is still dead in their trespasses and sins. Pray for that friend who needs the Lord! The Lord loves to hear prayers from His children. If any of you need prayer or want to email me please do at ra.stricker@gmail.com I hope this blog post is not harsh, this is my personal conviction that my blog should go in a different direction and that I should spend less time reading blogs and such. It has helped me to become closer to the Lord. Any thoughts on this would be great! Please comment if you have some strategies as to how to balance the internet with daily life or you were encouraged by this post.
God bless,
Rebecca
10 comments:
YES! Similar things have been going on in my life, praise God for this post!! I agree with every word you said. :D I have been going to other things, the internet included, to find my encouragement, my happiness and my rest. Only last night did I fully realize the meaning of the verse, "Indeed, I count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord." (Philippians 3:8) I finally found what my heart was searching for so desperately on the internet, in movies & everything else I love. Sure, they're great but they can't fill that certain emptiness in my heart. Only God can do that and I have finally turned that part of my life over to Him! And the same is happening with you, at the same time! I have finally found my heart's desire...God is working in wonderful ways!!
Love,
~Ginny
Oh praise God Ginny that the Lord is working in your life as well. Yes I never knew the meaning of that verse till recently either! Now every minute of my life is held captive to Christ. Love you and can't wait to see you friday!
In Christ,
Rebecca
I've been posting less too. For me the computer really is the biggest time-wasting item that I have. I have been practicing trying to do as much as possible off the computer.
I try to plan my posts offline and give myself one hour to assemble them. I've suddenly found myself with a lot of time to do the things that actually need doing, like you mentioned.
I think a lot of people take a lot of time making it look like their lives are interesting online but we really should be living our lives and supporting each other in real life.
Hi Rebecca,
Lovely and profound post. Very understandable. I'm so glad for you and encouraged myself, as well.
God bless,
Lady Kara
I needed to read this for encouragement. I go back and forth between wasting time online and being responsible, but I've really struggled with it this week. Thank you.
Rebecca, I have also been feeling this pull to spend much more time before the Lord. With some of the not-so-great goings on in my life, I've felt God pulling me so strongly to my knees, my head almost went spinning. :) But it's been beautiful, the clarity I've received by spending more time in the Word and in prayer. I certainly don't have answers to all my questions yet, but there is definitely a modicum of clarity, and for that I am thankful.
But it's amazing how easily we're snared into distraction, isn't it? A minute or two here, a few moments there, and before you know it, you're laying in bed realizing you didn't do all the Heaven-ward things you expected to do that day.
But you are hearing the Lord and are responding, and it's beautiful to see. It's SO important that all of us use any outlet we can to share God with others. You never know who's reading, or how God will use a single sentence you write to profoundly touch another person, maybe miles and miles away.
I'll be reading!
Amy
Greetings,
what a perfectly timed post.
Thank you for sharing.
I have been trying to spend more time, bible reading and prayer...instead of staying up all hours at night wandering the website world. I sleep better and feel better when I don't stay up late doing that...and starting my mornings with God instead of the latest blog/online news. My computer recently crashed and I noticed how nice it was to not have it in my room. :)
Anyway, thank you for your very well written and heartfelt post.
Very much enjoyed reading it and agreed with you. :)
Everyone glad I am not the only one! It seems we can all get caught up in the cyber world and forget to live our real lives with vigor and purpose! I agree and almost think that it would be nice to keep each other accountable and start a prayer and Bible study group or something through the internet. The idea just came to me, I have been encouraged by a prayer group I am apart of through Melanie's blog called Forever His Servant, her blog is in my blog list. I am working on another post about time management and it will be up Lord willing before friday.
You all are such an encouragement to me! thank you for your kind comments.
In Christ and love,
Rebecca
Hi Rebecca;
((hug))
Yes, our life requires balance. Putting Him first sets our path straight.
Blogging can become a god to us if we allow it too. However, I also believe it is a way that allows us to LIVE for Christ. Allowing our lives to be a Light in this world. I believe it is a wonderful tool in which to preach (with our lives) the gospel (the good news). I thank God for allowing me to blog and allowing me to let my voice be a voice crying out for the world's 174 million orphans.
I hope my blog(my life) makes an impact for His Kingdom.
If we submit our lives into His hands, He leads us, directs our path and allows us opportunities to serve Him (even with a blog).
Seeking Him is where it begins and asking Him to search us to make sure we are in line (and not in sin-I.E. making a blog an idol) with His Spirit.
xoxo
Kimmie
mama to 8
one homemade and 7 adopted
*one more on the way through adoption!!!
kimmie very well said! You said my thoughts exactly. I have been finding that blogging really needs to focus on Him or else it can become an idol. I have been working on a post about time management for a while and it really has challenged me. Hopefully it will be finished soon.
In Christ,
Rebecca
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