Eyes on the Prize

Create in me a PURE heart, Oh God, and renew a STEADFAST spirit within me. Psalm 51:10.

Webster Dictionary says:

Pure: Free from polution
              Genuine
              Sincere
Steadfast:   Firm
                           Resolute: Fixed determination
                           Fixed Purpose
                           Unwavering: to not fluctuate in allegiance or direction

I first learned this verse through a Church camp song back in 1991. The music was pretty and the words seemed nice, but I really didn't grasp the full meaning of the song until I recently disected what they words "Pure" and "steadfast" mean.
The act of purifying is a painful process. From the moment we are born we are constantly poluted with the ways of the world.It isn't until we have a relationship with God that we are able to allow Him to make our heart genuine and sincere through Him.
The word steadfast makes me think of a runner about to start a race. There is no question in his mind what he is trying to accomplish. He is determined and fixed on the goal of finishing the race. Maybe he is trying to finish the race to beat his own record or some other personal goal. Our walk with God is to be like this. The goal set and our eyes fixed and steadfast.
Two other bible verses that come to mind when I think about running a race are:

Hebrew 12:1; .....let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

1 Corinthians 9:24; Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

When I think about the goals that I have in mind for myself the word "pure" pretty much somes them up. I want to free myself of the worlds polution that distracts me from living the life we have been called to live. Whether that is to be free from overeating, gossiping, envy, anger... the list goes on and on. I also long to be genuine and sincere in all relationships that I have, whether that is my husband, children, family, friends, or neighbors.
A way to obtain purity is to be steadfast, to be firm and have fixed determination, unwavering from the goal. This isn't easily done. There are going to be distractions along the way. Even the demands of our day sometimes take our mind off of our goal of purity. We become impatient, stressed, and react in ways that are not inspired by God. Our relationship with God requires pure motives and a clean heart and this can only be obtained through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Even if we stumble He loves us anyway! He is waiting for us to shake ourselves off and get back on track with Him. We just need to always remember to always have our "Eyes on the Prize".

Check out this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmignZozEoA
Its inspirational.. and a great workout song too :)

Currently Reading:
 Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas
Managing Your Emotions by Joyce Meyer

Thanks for reading!! Have a blessed week!!

Just You Wait and See

I LOVE before and after pictures (as long as the After pic is better than the Before)!! I love home improvement shows but I really just like to watch the end where I can see the project before and the great transformation after. I get glued in whenever I see an infomercial about some great weightloss product that shows the consumers before and after. I find myself envying those people who have made such a great improvement to their bodies. For a moment that might motivate me to really want to change my health and appearance but it usually fades by the end of the day. I also think about the before and after pictures that I will someday see when this life is over. Will my "after" picture show a great transformation. Will there be a difference in who I am from when I first began my journey with God? He continues refining us and ironing out the wrinkles that sin has caused. God is working in us to remove those strongholds and barriers that constantly try to sway us away from Him. He already knows what our "after" picture is going to look like, even when its so hard for us to see any improvement and we feel like we are constantly losing this battle, whether it be with relationships, self image, addictions.... we all have battles to face. But I sense that God is not so much concerned about the finished product as he is with the journey to get there. He will heal you but in His own way and in His own time. This is where faith comes in. I read in the book "Managing Your Emotions" by Joyce Meyer, that God may want to work on a different area in your life than what you want, but you must lose your own agenda and let God have control of the healing process. I may want desperately to lose 100 lbs but I will never get there if God needs to deal with me on another issue first. My part is to cooperate with Him in whatever area He choses to deal with first. This is so difficult for me because I want instant results. I want to know that I will see improvement quickly for the changes that I make, but I am learning that this is not always the case. Sometimes the"after" picture comes after days, weeks, maybe years of us constantly making little changes in the right direction. I have found myself many times giving up because I can't see the fruits of my labor... but I need to remember that God can. He is pleased with any attempt we make in the right direction and with His help... we will get there! Gods words says "that He who began a good work in you will carry it out until completion... " (Phillipians 1:6) God isn't finished with me (or you) yet!

Check out this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALx7GCQ9GxE

Ecclesiastes 3:1 A Time for Everything

At the risk of wearing my heart on my sleeve, which comes naturally for me, I am blogging my journey of self discovery. I am opening myself to comments, criticism, but most of all accountability and support from YOU. I have allowed myself to stay in a pattern of self distruction for far too long and its time for change. God has created us to be bold and self disciplined. 2 Timothy 1: 7 says "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline." I have taken on a spirit of timidity and have allowed myself to be ruled by my fleshly desires instead of being led by the Holy Spirit. This has resulted in negative effects in all areas of myself. I am currently 100 lbs overweight and battling occasional anxiety and depression. I can sit back and place blame on many circumstances that I have gone through in my 28 yrs of life, but I am trying to look beyond those circumstances and look to the God who has a plan and purpose for everything. Under the direction of God, I plan to blog at least once a week and give updates on my spiritual and physical progress as I try to navigate through life. I have found that I do best in obtaining my goals by having accountability. Thats where YOU come in :). Just knowing that you are reading these posts, and praying for my success will mean the world to me. So here we go....