The Honest Truth about my Life

Friends, family, and strangers,

Recently the Lord Jesus Christ has done a big work in my life and I wanted to share what He has done with the world. He has called me to be bold when I am just a weak young woman in need of so much grace and mercy. The Father has supplied that every second of my life thus far and I know He will continue to for the rest of my life and through eternity. He has delivered me from a few different addictions. I am still blown away at God’s goodness and mercy towards me.

For about 1 year from March 2014 until March 2015 I had been very depressed. I had never been so depressed before. Sad feelings and mixed emotions had happened many times for me in my 23 years of life. But this was nothing like those fleeting,  sad feelings I had had before when I was a child, teenager, and young woman.

                    I felt downcast like it says in Psalm 42:5, “Why are you cast down O my soul, and why are you at turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” The depression came in slowly like a mist or fog. I could see that I started to get angry at other people. I started to become dissatisfied with my life.

I became dissatisfied with my relationships with my family and friends. At first I knew why, but I did not want to admit it. I was depressed because I was not living my life. I would sit for hours looking at social media websites. Since I was not active anymore I was dissatisfied with my life.

                    I used to sing, bike, jog, go on walks, have dinner with friends, go to social gatherings. I did not want to do any of these activities anymore. The reason for this was I felt useless because the social media made me feel like a failure. This was one of the many lies I started to believe. When I believed them, I lost sight of my purpose in life.

I turned to youtube videos to get a people “fix” since I was not socializing with my friends and family like I had used to do. Any of you who know me in real life know that I am an extrovert so isolating yourself by yourself day after day is tiring, feels hopeless, and feels lonely.

                  My purpose in life is to glorify God and enjoy being in a real relationship with Him.  I knew running away from this important relationship was wrong. The social media addiction took up all the time I used to spend with Jesus and actual people. But I kept pushing the addiction aside until I could not deal with it on my own any longer.

 The addiction was to social media. This addiction led to constantly checking my Facebook account, Instagram account, pinterest, text messages, and email. All of these social media platforms controlled my life. I could not get anything done that I was responsible for in a timely manner.

 I even became angry at my parents and sister pretty easily and even other people I was not related to. I was so impatient most of the time because the social media was instant and my life was not instant like I wanted. Getting angry is fine as long as we do not sin because of the anger. As it says in God’s Word in the book of Ephesians chapter 4 verse 26, another. “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” These angry outbursts happened daily. It did not help that I had a smart phone so I could check these applications 24/7 at the touch of a button.

The smartphone had become a way for me to escape from my life. It was a way for me to isolate myself from the world around me and not deal with my sin issues immediately. The social media was a distraction and a way to be complacent from my sin.

The reason I wanted to escape my life through social media was because I knew what God wanted me to do with my life and I did not want to follow through with it. He had told me I am an artist. I am a singer, songwriter, pianist, vocalist, love to draw and paint art, and write words. I wanted to run away from my identity in Christ. I feared what other people would think if I proclaimed Jesus Christ through my life. The book of Proverbs chapter 29:25 spoke loud and clear to me. “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

I did not want to be a “city on a hill” as I am called to be as a follower of Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I did not want to stand out from the American(western) culture/crowd. I was afraid that if I stepped out in faith in Jesus Christ and shared my talents with others that I would get hurt.

 My life is actually really blessed by God and I started to forget this fact/truth while I wasted hours upon hours of my precious time on social media. It became so bad that it started to control my eating habits, sleep habits, friendships, and family relationships. Most of all, to my horror, my time with Jesus in prayer and reading His love letter to me disappeared altogether.  

I had let my emotions control me instead of the Truth. The reason these hours on social media were dangerous for me and leading to so much sin was because I was not daily refreshing myself in God’s Word, the Bible. I was desperate for water as it says in Psalm 42:1-2, “As the Deer pants for the flowing streams, so my soul pants for you O my God,  my soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

 I now have learned that if I do not read the Bible daily I forget that this earth is not my home; I have a home with my Heavenly Father in heaven. The things of this world have distracted me so many days and they still do to some extent. The social media addiction was a big worldly distraction for me. Now God is teaching me how to use social media as a tool again instead of a distraction from Jesus.

Another sin issue I have dealt with my whole life has been social anxiety. As I mentioned towards the beginning of this letter, I feared man more than God. Sometimes, my fear of what others may be thinking of me has gotten so bad in the past that I have frozen in terror. I did not know what to do because I was so scared that I would become paralyzed in fear. I know now this is from the enemy Satan.

 I still deal with fear, but now I know how to deal with it. Whenever I start to fear what others may think I can think instead, “ What does God think?” That always calms me down. It gives me peace and assurance that fear is normal, but I don’t have to stay fearful. The book of Psalm chapter 27 verse 1 has been a comfort. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Whenever I would see a picture of another young woman I would wish I was her. I was dissatisfied with my appearance even though God says a lot about who I am in His Word. “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” This verse is from the book of Psalms Chapter 139 verse 14.

Remember you are beautiful; Jesus loves you with an everlasting and unwavering love that can never ever be taken away from you. Look to the Lord Jesus and He will tell you great and marvelous things you do not know. He wants to speak to you.

The only way I was able to come out of the pit of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and social media addiction was through the Word of God. Before I let myself give into the lies and believe the lies Satan was feeding me I loved the Word of God because I believed it was the Truth. Now that I have been delivered from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and social media addiction, I love the Bible again! I love life again! I love God again! He never let go of me even when I turned away and had tried to run away from Him. Jesus purused me like no one ever has. He relentlessly in love with me so much so that He took my penalty for my sin. He bore it all on His shoulders on the cross! But it did not stop there. He did not stay in the grave! He rose again on the 3rd day of being in the ground from the grave! He won over sin and death and now He is seated at the right hand of God interceding for His people the Church.

The Word of God (the Bible) proves true always! While I was in the midst of depression, anxiety, and social media addiction, the Word of God was telling me the Truth about myself, who I am, who I will become, and the world around me. It was the anchor that I needed, because it told me I was beautiful when my feelings told me I was not.

It was the anchor that I needed that told me you are gloriously loved by a Man who died for you! It was the anchor that told me you are going to be ok! Even if you were to die right now you would fall into the arms of a Savior who is the Perfect Father, Lover, Friend and Husband. It told me that when I was afraid I could put my trust and hope in God because He never changes.

So I would encourage you, look to Jesus. I looked to the world for all the answers to life. It gave me lies. When I look to Jesus Christ my personal Savior I have found the Truth about myself, my life, and the world around me. God tells us in the book of John chapter 14 verse 6, “Jesus said, “ I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through me.”

When I heard those words I knew it was true even while I was still enslaved to the addiction of social media. Now I can say without any doubts that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the life and now I have access to the wonderful, merciful, Holy and loving Father of the universe through Jesus Christ. I can talk to the Lord my Father anytime, anywhere.

It’s so comforting and freeing because now I have confessed my sins to the Lord and Jesus has been faithful and just to cleanse me of my sin and unrighteousness.  

Jesus put on His shoulders all of my sin and died a gruesome death for my sin. It’s like when you are in a courtroom and you are guilty of a crime. I am guilty of so many crimes;  lying, stealing, envy, cursing, suicidal thoughts and addiction to social media, not trusting God, pride, envy, coveting, laziness, lust, and worry.

 The Judge who is the Father said, “Rebecca there is a man here who wants to pay in full your penalty of death. He wants to die for you in your place.” When the Father who is the Judge told me that, even while in the midst of my addiction to social media, I knew I was beautiful and fully loved. I knew it was the Truth, that Jesus died for me.

He died for you as well. He loves you that much to die a painful, gruesome, horrible death because He wants you to be His child. He wants to wrap His loving arms around you right now and when you see Him in person someday.

 If you have some time, I would encourage you to read your Bible. The book of John is the best place to start because it’s all about Jesus, the God who died for you,  for your sins and loves you more than any other person ever could. Your family loves you, friends love you, I love you, but Jesus Christ loves you WAY more!!! ☺

Some thoughts to consider,
#1 Jesus loves you perfectly.
#2 There is nothing that can separate you from this love.
#3 Because of this love Jesus calls us to turn away from any addictions in our lives that separate us from Him.
#4 Separating ourselves from any addiction is hard.
#5 It’s not impossible to turn away from an addiction because with God all things are possible! :)
#6 If you can read The gospel of John it is a great place to start reading.
#7 We sin each day, but God’s grace covers our sins. If you sin it’s not the end of the world. It’s just another opportunity for Christ to shape you. Its another opportunity for you to look to Jesus for help and turn away from your sin.

A little More About my Beliefs and Convictions

Hey Ya'll,

I was just reading over an  This Birthday Post from almost 3 years ago from when I was 19 and had just graduated from homeschool high school and I was not sure where the Lord wanted me that new year in regards to education. I see now that I said some things in that post I have not kept up with doing on this blog. I want to start putting the music I am studying in the side bar each week. So I will try and do that when I get a chance. But I also noticed something very alarming from this post.

I thought I had just been saved 2 years prior to my 19th b-day. I just wanted to clear up for my own good and for my readers that I believe in justification and sanctification. I do not believe that I was not saved when I was 7 years old and I was baptized. I believe that right there in that moment when I heard the pastor ask anyone to come forward who wanted to except Christ as their Savior, when I asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life He was then the Lord of my life. I was no longer a child of the world, but Gods child fully redeemed by Christs blood. I believe you can only be saved from your sin by Christ having died on the cross and you believing that He endured the penalty for your sin and now has become alive again and lives. Then the fruit of accepting Him as your Savior is wanting to live by listening to His Spirit more and more which is sanctification. 

I will just give a little definition in my own words for sanctification and justification. I am not a person with many degrees or a doctorates in the Bible, but this is what I believe these two words mean. Please do add in your two cents or if I am wrong in my definition please do chime in! :) I mean that. This blog is a place for us all to grow in our understanding of God, so yeah. :) But please do so kindly and in a Christ like manner.

I believe Justification is when we are saved by Christ, that moment we realize our sin is so big that we cannot save ourselves and God says to us I have saved you from your sin by the blood of my beloved Son who was killed and rose again for your sins. And you accept that Christ has done what you or anyone else could not do by enduring the pain of the cross to make up pure and unstained from sin. Of course we still have these sinful bodies, we will not be given new bodies till we go to be with the Lord, but that's when sanctification comes in for each saved Believer in Christ.

Then I believe after we are saved/justified we are being made more and more like Christ for as long as we are alive on this earth. The process of Sanctification is the process of our old selves, our sinful nature becoming less and less prominent and God encompassing us so that we are more and more like Him and long more and more for Him and to do His commandments and follow His leading and not our own wisdom. When we are justified/saved we are given the Helper, who is the Holy Spirit to help us listen to God and therefore become more and more like Christ.

I have been very encouraged by passages like John 14. In these verses Jesus says,“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."
-John 14:15-17 ESV

So yes I believe that we are living under a Tri-God, one that is made up of three distinct persons, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. So yes I believe that every Christian who is saved by faith in Jesus Christ has the Comforter, helper, who is the Holy Spirit, and the Father and the Son also are watching over us.

So if this is a shocker to you that I believe in these truths from the Bible don't be surprised. :) These doctrines of sanctification and justification and the trinity are precious to me and I believe important for every believer to understand. I pray the Lord would speak and not me in this post.

God bless you all and if you have any thoughts on this please comment. Maybe the Lord has taught you this about your own testimony as well? You can also email me too at ra.stricker@gmail.com.

Blessings,
Rebecca Ann

Save the Nuba people!

If you get a chance please sign the petition!

I want to live like that!!!

Melanie over at Forever His Servant shared this video today and I want to say that this is who we should be in  Christ! We should live recklessly abandoned to Christ! We should abandon this life to live a life in Christ! I fall short of this high calling so many times, but I want to strive to get up with Gods help and live for Christ.

God never will!

via Godsgracefullness

He is Our Present Help in Times of Trouble!

I was just so desperate this morning, gasping for breath, after crying for over a half an hour, I opened my Bible and said God I can't do this alone! Lord give me your strength to get through this trial! He spoke through His WORD as He always does each time I open His Book. Praise the Lord that He gives strength to the needy, even me!

Psalm 46
"God is our refuge and our strength,
a very present help in times of trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
There is a river whose streams make me glad
the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High!
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter,
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us,
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
"Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress."

God I am poor and needy, but you comfort me, you are my very present help in times of trouble. Ladies he is not just our help in times of trouble, He is our very present help in times of trouble!!! He is very present! He is not just present, he is very present and real and living. He is Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and the father to the orphans and widows and to His sons and daughters. I am His daughter! He holds me in his hands and I drink from His cup. He is the God of the nations! The only living and true God. Give your troubles and worries up to Him! I did and He has given me great joy today! He is my King and my Father and my friend! He is my redeemer and rescuer from sin! He rescued me today twice! Satan may try to make me feel defeated, but I am not because Christ lives in me! He reigns in my being, he reigns! Not death nor life nor anything in all creation can seperate me from the lover of my soul! Praise the Lord!

Give your worries and burdens to Him today ladies! He will give you peace that surpasses all understanding. I am just so in awe of the answers to prayer and the life He is giving me. He is helping me to keep breathing when I thought I would not be able to.
In my God forever,
Rebecca

All I Need Is Something Outside of me

Our Mighty God

I have seen the awesome deeds of the Lord God over and over again in the past months in my life. I have seen Him over and over again not just come through for friend and family but be there every step of the way answering prayers and needs. He is working and He is working faithfully. I have seen a pattern in my Bible study and experiences and prayers that has kept leading me to 3 attributes of the Lord the past few months; He is faithful, He is steadfast in love, and He performs mightly deeds(answers prayers and works miracles).

I believe this song really speaks about these 3 attributes, whenever we speak His name mountains move! Whenever we pray to our God, do good for our God, or are faithful to our God He is working! This is such an encouragement to me. As the verse below states he has heard my prayer over and over again and answered me in his saving faithfulness and steadfast love. Its because of these three attributes, faithfulness, steadfast love, and mighty deeds I can see more and more He is worthy of my praise and trust and will never waver in loving me.

" But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.
  At an acceptable time, O God,
  in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness."
(Psalm 69:13 ESV)

These verses below tell of His faithfulness because whenever we see His mighty deeds, the miracles and wonders he does in our lives, we have a clear and sure promise that He is faithful. This afirms His faithfulness reaches to the clouds by His over and over again watching out for us and moving in our lives. How can God hearing our prayers and doing wondrous works not prove that he is faithful?

Psalm 77

"I cry aloud to God,

aloud to God, and he will hear me.

In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;

in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;

my soul refuses to be comforted.

When I remember God, I moan;

when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

You hold my eyelids open;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

I consider the days of old,

the years long ago.

I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;

let me meditate in my heart.”

Then my spirit made a diligent search:

“Will the Lord spurn forever,

and never again be favorable?

Has his steadfast love forever ceased?

Are his promises at an end for all time?

Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

Then I said, “I will appeal to this,

to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

I will remember the deeds of the LORD;

yes, I will remember your wonders of old.

I will ponder all your work,

and meditate on your mighty deeds.

Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is great like our God?

You are the God who works wonders;

you have made known your might among the peoples.

You with your arm redeemed your people,

the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

(Psalm 77:1-15 ESV)

You may be asking what has he been doing in your life Rebecca?

Well first I would say he has reminded me over and over again that this life is so short and that we need to use the time to the best we can for His glory. I have found that by serving others and really digging deep into the Word and praying daily I find fulfillment in Christ even in this short life. There has been many a time where I did not say the right thing in a conversation or take the initiative to start a conversation to share the Gospel of Christ these past months; but God has been gracious and I have seen my family and friendship relationships growing in the Lord. I have seen that many times I feel as though I have to rush through my Bible study and then God says slow down I am always here! Over the weekend, I spent a long time just pouring over the Psalms and was not sorry I did not get some other things done so I could spend more time in Gods love letter to His bride.

I found that I kept reading about his mighty deeds happening over and over again. I kept reading about how each generation was able to share Gods faithfulness with the next because of the mighty things he had done which proved His faithfulness.

 "Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
  incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
 I will open my mouth in a parable;
  I will utter dark sayings from of old,
 things that we have heard and known,
  that our fathers have told us.
 We will not hide them from their children,
  but tell to the coming generation
 the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
  and the wonders that he has done."
(Psalm 78:1-4 ESV)

I pray that my generation would not hide what the Lord has done from their children! May we all be able to recount the mighty deeds the Lord has done in our lives to the next generation to tell them of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a need! So many do not realize God is real I believe because many of us who follow the Lord are too scared or proud to recount to them what He has done. I am writing this for myself, Rebecca recount the Lords mighty deeds and works to others to share his steadfast love and faithfulness is real.

Then you may go on to read chapter 78 of psalms and you realize when it says that Gods people were not faithful, it says that God was faithful, these verses below prove this truth!

"With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with a skillfull hand!"-psalm 78:72

Many times in the scriptures it talks about Gods people being faithful or not being faithful. I have seen many passages over the past few weeks talking about faith. I read these today that talk about how we are justified by faith as well. God is faithful to forgive us and justify us through faith! What an encouraging truth!

" What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
 “That you may be justified in your words,
  and prevail when you are judged.”
(Romans 3:3-4 ESV)

We see in these verses above that even if we are unfaithful that does not make God unfaithful to us! What a promise and what a relief! Even when we are in sin God will wash us and cleanse us and through faith justify us of our sin.

"Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law."
(Romans 3:27-28 ESV)

I have also been reminded by the above verse that we also still are to be faithful to God! So when we are not faithful to God we are to repent of our sin and then strive to be faithful! Just because we might fail in being faithful does not mean we should not try, because I have seen that the more I stumble the more I rely on God to help m put my faith and trust in Him alone.

And last but not least, besides His might deeds and works showing me God is real and loves me and his unending and unwavering faithfulness proving me to He is the God of the universe; His steadfast and unwavering love proves He is the true bridegroom and lover of my soul.

I have read many verses over the years, especially from the Psalms that talk about our Gods undieing and unfading love, but here is one passage I will share with you.

" Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

  for in you my soul takes refuge;

 in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

  till the storms of destruction pass by.

 I cry out to God Most High,
  to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
 He will send from heaven and save me;
  he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
 God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! My soul is in the midst of lions;

  I lie down amid fiery beasts—

 the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,

  whose tongues are sharp swords.

 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

  Let your glory be over all the earth!

 They set a net for my steps;

  my soul was bowed down.

 They dug a pit in my way,

  but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah

 My heart is steadfast, O God,

  my heart is steadfast!

 I will sing and make melody!

  Awake, my glory!

 Awake, O harp and lyre!

  I will awake the dawn!

 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

  I will sing praises to you among the nations.

 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
  your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

  Let your glory be over all the earth!"

(Psalm 57 ESV)

I am so grateful for this Psalm, its really just so encouraging and empowering to me! My God's steadfast love reaches to the heavens and His faithfulness to the clouds. Its never ending! Its never wavering! He will never cease from loving me even though I am a sinful wretch who many a time is ungrateful for His sacrifice on the cross for His bride! So many times I forget all he has done, but in this post I want to focus on Him, not me. God is steadfast in love and never wavers from hearing our prayers and petitions and pleas for His help. Praise God God alone is our Savior and friend.

In Christ,

Rebecca

The Christian life is a battefield

Ceder Creek reenactment 2011 from this past Saturday

I am not saying this lightly, a friend of mine reminded me of this with her blog post today. So many times the enemy Satan tries to get us to believe that God is not winning the battle! He wants us to believe that he has triumped when we sin or when we get discouraged. ladies dont' believe it!!! God the God of the universe has triumped with Christs resurrection from the dead! What a hope, we are still alive, not dead, we are still fighting and fighting strong, but not strong in our own strength, only in the strength of God alone!

" If we would ripen in grace, we must live near to Jesus- in His presence- ripened by the sunshine of His smiles. We must hold sweet communion with him!"- Morning and Evening October 20th by Spurgeon

Ladies we must hold sweet communion with Christ, then only then can we have victory! Death is swallowed up in victory through Christ! Oh death where is thy sting?! We have victory praise God in Christ! Fight the good fight and don't do it in your strength, rest in Christs strength.
I am trying, I might fail sometimes, but Christ never fails, He will always prevail. 

 “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
 “O death, where is your victory?
  O death, where is your sting?”
 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 15:54-57 ESV)

In Christ,
Rebecca

Don't Curl Up in a ball.....

when you don't want to deal with conflict whether it be inside your soul against the flesh or with other people! This picture reminded me of the many times these past years that I have just sat in the corner curled up in a ball and given up instead of dealing with the conflict. When someone asks you whats wrong when they are trying to help don't say," nothing." Deal with it!

"God's highest purpose is not to make you comfortable, wealthy, or happy. If you have put your faith in him, he has something far more wonderful in mind- he plans to conform you to the likeness of His Son! He began to change you the day you put your trust in him, and he will continue this process throughout your life. Coflict is one of the many tools that God will use to help you develop a more Christ-like character. To begin with, he may use conflict to remind you of your weakness and to encourage you to depend more on him(2 Cor. 12:7-10). The more you rely on his grace, wisdom, and power, the more you will be imitating the Lord Jesus(Luke 22:41-44)." - from page 37 in The Peace Maker by Ken Sande

In Christ,
Rebecca

The Present Obligation- Using our Time well Part 1

Hello everyone!

Today I would like to focus on a particular subject that has been on my mind for the past 2 weeks, how we use our time.  Is it a sin to waste time?! I would say that it is a sin to waste our time! Each moment is a gift from the Father to us His children and if we use it ill then we are sinning. I would then go on to say and confess that these past few days I have not used my time well. I spent it idly many a time in pursuits that do not get me closer to my Savior or encourage others in pursuit of the Lord. I have spent time worrying, watching movies, reading blogs, wasting time that could have been used in song writing or practicing music or studying or mentoring a friend or encouraging a friend or helping my family. I have neglected things the Lord wanted me to do to do these things that are time wasters. I am not saying that watching movies or reading blogs is wrong, but if you are doing it when you should be doing something the Lord wants you to do I believe that is definitely not fulfilling and is a sin. 
Hello everyone!

photo credit

I have been reading again a book that is dear to me and is really encouraging even for the modern young lady called Young Lady's Guide to the Harmonious Development of Christian character by Harvey Newcomb. It is a very encouraging and challenging read and I would recommend it to any woman who wants to pursue Christ with her whole being.You can find it at amazon as well as Vision Forum store website. Although it is unavailable from amazon right now, I bought it from VF over 2 years ago and loved it. I have lent it to two friends and they also loved it.

It is written by Harvey Newcomb and he was a minister/pastor in the 1840s, but the truth in this text is timeless! I believe this volume should be on every young woman's shelf! :)

First I will start out with some Scripture as I believe all of what I teach should be directly from Gods Word. Harvey does not use Scripture reference in this volume, but everything is definitely Biblical and focuses on how to please God and not man.Here are a few quotes and my thoughts on them from the book.


"When you entered into solemn covenant with the Lord, you consecrated your whole being to his service. Your time, then, is not your own, but the Lord's. If you waste it, then, or spend it unprofitably, you rob God; for it is one of the talents which he has intrusted to your as his steward. You are not at liberty even to employ it exclusively for yourself; but you must glorify God in the use of it, which you will do by employing it in the way that will be most beneficial to your whole being, and to your creatures." page 228 of The Ladys Guide to the Harmonious Development of Christian Character by Newcomb

"Hence we are exhorted to redeem, rescue, the time, as it flies." -Newcomb

WOW! what a challenge to us! Our time is not even our own. It also says this in the Lord's WORD! As it says in Romans 14:12, "So then each of us will give an account of himself to God." So we will have to give an account to God about how we have used our time. I will have to tell God about all the times I squandered my time using it for selfish gain and not for serving Him or glorifying Him. Such as when I have some spare time I will surf the internet and Facebook instead of reading the Bible, communing with my God in prayer, doing that college stuff the Lord wants me to do, help my mother or my father or my sister, persevere on the song the Lord wants me to write, practice piano or voice to be able to teach others someday how they can glorify God in music as worship. There are so many things that are so much more worthy of my time than doing idle things that will not matter when my life here on earth is finished. I would challenge you all ladies to reevaluate what takes up most of your time. Are you spending too much time doing something that does not glorify God?! Or maybe as I had been doing for the past year you were avoiding some things the Lord wanted you to do because you were scared of them?!

In James I was able to find a lot of wisdom about the use of our time. James 2:14" What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?" If we have faith, but are not using our time to glorify God, if we are not showing our love for Christ with our time and what we do on a day to day basis, what sort of faith is that? Others will not come to Christ if they see us watching hours of television just as they do or surfing the internet for hours on end or texting more than we are praying! How can those who need Christ see Him if we are not using our time to serve Him and be set apart?

We should be good stewards of it and use it to glorify God and not ourselves. We NEED to share His WORD with others and become closer to our Savior who died on the cross so we would not have to. He loved us that much and we should love Him so much that we give our time to Him and let go of it.! Then by letting Him use our time to glorify His name we will find true fulfillment! Everything in this world is empty ladies, it has no value, only Christ Jesus gives us value and purpose!

These have been my thoughts the past few weeks as I strive to overcome my sin of wasting time. I will be posting probably 2 more parts of this series in the next few weeks. Lots of studying has been going into this and has been a great learning experience for me! I hope you all are encouraged by this series!

In Christ,
Rebecca