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julieisthebestever
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Name: Julie
Birthday: 2/19/1989
Gender: Female
Interests: My amazing and wonderful Savior JESUS CHRIST!! He saved me and set me free of my sins! (He can do it for you too...)
Expertise: Dancing! And making poems with magnetic words on the fridge...
Occupation: Student
Industry: Other
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  savedafishies2
Member Since:
5/31/2004
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| Colossians 1:9-10,12
"...we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light."
Wow...here it is again...
"...we have not ceased to pray for you
asking
that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
so as to
(1) walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
(2) fully pleasing to him,
(3) bearing fruit in every good work
(4) and increasing in the knowledge of God...
giving thanks to the Father,
who has qualified you
to share in the inheritance of the saints."
His will comes through spiritual wisdom and understanding. As we discover His will, we can walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work, and grow in our knowledge of God. Only as we are actively pursuing His will can we live a life fully pleasing to the Lord. This verse is so clear.
I don't really know what else to say...God's Word is amazing...read it!
~Julie Anna~
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| I love these things!
1. Are you a child of the 70s 80s or 90s?
well, I was born in '89, but I'm really a 90s kid
2. Where were you born?
New Jersey!
3. If you were born in another country how old were you when you moved?
does not apply
4. What city did you grow up in?
Roswell, GA!
5. Did you enjoy your childhood?
it was fabulous!
6. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
a scientist or the weather lady on TV
8. Name the first memorable vacation you took as a kid?
hm...probably all our trips with the Kinnison family
9. What was your first best friends name?
well....there was Courtney, then Sydnee, then Sammy...
10. Are they still your best friends?
nope...
12. How did you meet them?
school mainly
13. Can you name all the schools you ever attended?
Piedmont pre-school, Tritt, Hightower, Eastside, Pope
14. Who was your first crush?
o gosh...I would have to say Dillon
15. Were you a shy quiet kid or a very wild and rowdy kid?
I was extremely shy!
16. When you were little what did you do for fun?
hung out with friends or built forts with my sister!
17. Were you closer to your Mom or Dad as a kid?
neither and both
18. Do you have any embarrassing school stories?
doesn't everyone?
19. What was the first record, tape or CD you remember buying?
Britany Spears...Baby One More Time
20. How old do you want to be when you get married?
whenever...maybe before I'm 65?
21. How old to have kids?
i have no idea, ask me after I get married!
22. Were you scared of anything?
spiders, robbers, monsters, witches, and bears....o yeah, and ET
23. What was your favorite class in school?
I think science
24. Did you buy school lunch or bring your own?
brought my own most the time
26. Were you a meanie head?
yes!....I'm ashamed of myself...well, I wasn't a mean kid, but I was a mean pre-teen
27. Favorite board game of all time?
Life or Clue
28. Did you play house or pretend to be a super hero?
i played house all the time
30. Seriously..are you still just a kid at heart?
of course!
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| PRAY AND DISOBEY
"Loving God means doing what He tells us to do, and really, that isn't
hard at all; for every child of God can obey Him, defeating sin and
evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help him." 1 John 5:3-4 TLB
I was talking to a close friend of mine about plans that some of my
loved ones were making, and she asked me if they had prayed about
them. I told her that they had, and she said, "Yes, but are they
LISTENING to what God has told them?" Then she confessed to me that
she had been guilty of making this same mistake many times herself, and
that it had always cost her dearly. A day or two later, I heard from a
young man who had been in a relationship that had ended badly. He
began to describe to me a pattern of failed relationships, and he
expressed his confusion, bewilderment, and frustration. Every time he
was attracted to a girl, he would pray for God's guidance before he got
involved. Yet in each and every case, he would end up being hurt and
mistreated. He confessed that he was feeling more and more
"disconnected" from the Lord, as a result.
I told this man that he was right to pray before entering a
relationship. But was he heeding the Lord's advice when He tried to
give it to him? Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for us to ask for
God's guidance, and then choose to follow our emotions, instead of His
leading. Our emotions can speak louder that God's "still, small
voice," and if we're not careful, we will end up letting our feelings
and desires lead us around by the nose. The Lord will not lead us into
destructive relationships. But Satan will. God is a gentleman, and He
will not force His will upon us. But the devil will. I told this
young man that the Lord had the perfect mate in store for him--one who
would love him with the God-kind of love--but he had to want it badly
enough to do whatever it takes to lay hold of it.
The Bible says: "Do not be conformed to this world (this age),
[fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but
be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its
new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for
yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God,
even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight
for you]." (Romans 12:2 AMP) We are never going to walk in God's
perfect will, or receive the good things the Lord has in store for us,
until our minds are renewed to His truth, and we begin to see things
from His perspective. That's why spending regular time in God's Word
is absolutely essential. As we hear it, read it, memorize it, and
meditate on it, we begin thinking more and more like God, and less and
less like the world.
God promises each believer: "I will guide you along the best pathway
for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a
senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under
control." (Psalm 32:8-9 NLT) The Lord longs to lead His children in
the paths of His greatest blessings. But He can't do that when we're
bent on "doing our own thing," and going our own way. Jesus calls
Himself the "Good Shepherd," and He says to us, "Follow Me." (John
10:11, Mark 8:34) But too often, we choose NOT to follow His lead.
Inevitably, we wind up falling off a cliff, and then we say, "Where
were you, God? Why did you let this happen to me?"
I once heard the pastor of the largest church in the world being
interviewed. When someone asked him what the secret of his success
was, he replied simply, "I pray and obey." Unfortunately, there are a
good number of believers these days who pray, and then disobey. It
does us little good to seek God for His will in a situation, if we're
not going to obey Him when He speaks to us. May we heed the Lord's
plea today that says--"Obey Me. Do what I say and I will be your God
and you will be my people. Live the way I tell you. Do what I command
so that your lives will go well"! (Jeremiah 7:23 MSG)
Lord, forgive me for the times that I sought You for Your will, and
then refused to obey You. Remind me often that You have awesome plans
for my life, but in order to experience them, I must follow Your lead.
Thank You that You have equipped me with Holy Spirit power to live Your
way, so that I may walk in the victory and success that Christ died for
me to have!
*If you enjoy these devotionals, you will also
enjoy J. M. Farro's beautiful hardcover devotional books: "Life On
Purpose," "Life On Purpose for Women," and "Life On Purpose for Men,"
published by Harrison House. To purchase signed copies of these books,
please go to our merchandise page at http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/merch.asp . Or contact Joanne personally at Farro@Jesusfreakhideout.com.
*For more devotionals by J. M. Farro, please visit http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/devotionals/default.asp .
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| Yet I Sin
Eternal Father,
Thou are good beyond all thought,
But I am vile, wretched, miserable, blind;
My lips are ready to confess, but my heart is slow to feel,
and my ways reluctant to amend.
I bring my soul to thee;
break it, wound it, bend it, mould it.
Unmask to me sin's deformity,
that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it.
My faculties have been a weapon of revolt against thee;
as a rebel I have misused my strength,
and served the foul adversary of thy kingdom.
Give me grace to bewail my insensate folly,
Grant me to know that the way of transgressors is hard,
that evil paths are wretched paths,
that to depart from thee is to lose all good.
I have seen the purity and beauty of thy perfect law,
the happiness of those in whose heart it reigns,
the calm dignity of the walk to which it calls,
yet I daily violate and contemn its precepts.
Thy loving Spirit strives within me,
brings me Scripture warnings,
speaks in startling providences,
allures by secret whispers,
yet I choose devices and desires to
my own hurt,
impiously
resent, grieve,
and provoke him to abandon me.
All these sins I mourn, lament, and for them cry pardon.
Work in me more profound and abiding repentance;
Give me the fullness of a godly grief that trembles and fears,
yet ever trusts and loves,
which is ever powerful, and ever confident;
Grant that through the tears of repentance I may see more clearly
the brightness and glories of the saving cross.
Gosh, this prayer hits really close to home doesn't it? I think
we've all been in a situation where we just neglected confessing sin. I
don't think it's because we just want to be sinful or unclean...it's
just that we get busy, we forget, our hearts are hardened by this world
and we begin to conform. We forget how wonderful and freeing it feels
to be completely pure and holy before God, and we are too lazy to make
things right with God. I know I've been there!
I was reading in my Bible the other night, and I found a verse that
really spoke to be it's Psalm 34:10b "For those who trust in the Lord
will never lack any good thing." I've been clinging to that verse and
repeating it in my mind for the past few day, and it's been such a
comfort to me. But I'm beginning to realize that "Those who trust in
the Lord" does not necessarily mean all Christians. It means "those who
trust in the Lord." I know I've gone through times when my trust was in
other things besides the Lord. And when you think about it, sin is
proof that one isn't trusting in the Lord. Sin results when you didn't
trust that what God had to say was true. For example, if you lie then
obviously you didn't believe that God was correct when He said "Thou
shalt not lie." You see what I mean?
So when we don't confess sin, how can we "not lack any good thing"?
Like this prayer says "to depart from thee is to lose all good". To not
trust in the Lord and to depart from his presence (be separated from
Him because of sin) it to lose all good; all those good things that He
promised us.
"For those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good thing."
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| Resting on GodOk, so I have this book called The Valley of Vision, A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions.
I know you're probably thinking, "Why does Julie have a book about
Puritan stuff, I though she was Baptist!" Well, you're right, I am
Baptist, but first and foremost I'm a follower of Christ, and I've
found that this book is full of amazing insight into true devotion and
worship of God that I think has been almost lost to our generation. So,
I think for the next few weeks I'm going to start copying some of these
prayers onto my xanga and commenting on them according to how God
speaks to me through them. Then you can feel free to comment on how God
spoke to you as well.
I was going to post the first one today, but I actually have to
leave right now to take my sister back to college. But when I get home,
I'll finish this up and post the prayer titled "Resting on God". I
think you'll enjoy it!
~Jules
~Resting On God~
from The Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions
O God Most High, Most Glorious,
The thought of thine infinite serenity cheers me,
For I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed,
but thou art for ever at perfect peace.
Thy designs cause thee no fear or care of unfulfilment,
they stand fast as the eternal hills.
Thy power knows no bond,
thy goodness no stint.
Thou bringest order out of confusion,
and my defeats are thy victories:
The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
I come to thee as a sinner with cares and sorrows,
to leave every concern entirely to thee,
every sin calling for Christ's precious blood;
Revive deep spirituality in my heart;
Let me live near to the great shepherd,
hear his voice, know its tones, follow its calls.
Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth,
from harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities,
burning into me by experience the things I know;
Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel,
that I may bear its reproach,
vindicate it,
see Jesus as its essence,
know in it the power of the Spirit.
Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;
unbelief mars my confidence,
sin makes me forget thee.
Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;
Grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to thee,
that all else is trifling.
Thy presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy.
Abide in me, gracious God.
** You know that feeling you get when you know
that your relationship with God simply isn't on the right track? There
are sins in your life that are keeping you from the fellowship that you
should have with your heavenly Father...The Holy Spirit is knocking at
your heart and wispering into your ear that you need to get right with
God...That's exactly where I was when I came across this prayer for the
first time. In many ways, that's where I still am today...
Am I right when I say that when you are at that point of a disrupted fellowship with God that you feel, "toiling
and moiling, troubled and distressed"? I sure do! When there are sins
in my life that are separating me from God, I feel out of control and
like I can't get anything done because the most important thing in my
life is out of wack: my relationship with Christ. Sometimes I feel so
overwhelmed that the thought of have to work to get my relationship
with God back in order seems like it will be a burden rather than a
help. One day when I was at that point, I came across this prayer. And
then I realized that getting my foundation in Christ back in order
would allow for the Savior to take back control of my life and give His
"perfect peace" free reign in my heart.
What an encouragement to know that God is, "for
ever at perfect peace"! Can you imagine "perfect peace"? Nothing can
ever disrupt His peace! Isaiah 9:6 says that Christ is our "Prince of
Peace". If Christ is our Prince of Peace and Christ lives in us, then
we have an unlimited supply of peace within us. So why should we ever
"toil and moil"? "The
Lord God omnipotent reigneth", and He will reign forever more. He holds
the ultimate power and is always at perfect peace. All we have to do is
"hear
his voice, know its tones, follow its calls." Psalm 23:1 says, "The
Lord is my shepherd..." He is our shepherd, let's follow Him! If we do,
we'll experience the wonderful, unlimited peace that He has to offer.
We as humans are so prone to being "lukewarm
and chill" arent' we? We let unbelief mar our confidence. Our sin makes
us forget God. We let business get in the way of our relationship with
Jesus Christ. We let Satan deceive us into thinking that restored
relationship with Christ isn't the answer to our problems. When faced
with this situation, let's make this our prayer:
Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;
Grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to thee,
that all else is trifling.
Even when we feel like we don't want to get
right with God or we feel like it would take too much effort to get
back on track, let's ask God to cut those weeds at their roots. Let's
ask Him to cut out Satan's lies (because that's what they are) from our
hearts and give His "perfect peace" free reign in our lives. We
need to realize that we truly live only when we live in Him. Everything else is trifling outside Christ.
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