"No other god but me"

Exodus 20:2-5 says:

'I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.'"

Who or what reigns in your life? Who is your allegiance to and what is your top priority? What does all your heart, mind, and soul invest in on a daily basis? Where your time and money are, there is your heart also.

Worry ≠ Faith

Why does life get so busy and stressful sometimes? It's so easy to find yourself running all over the place, from one commitment to the next, without a moment to come up for fresh air and a breath. I'm an overachiever so it's easy for me to get wrapped up in a number of things. I work a full-time job, play on a softball team, volunteer on the production team at my church, lead a young adult small group, and tons more. Sometimes I get so busy going from one thing to the next that I start to lose focus on what's important - which is taking time for God each day. Yes, I talk to God all throughout my day when I'm in my car on my way to work, or listening to worship music like K-Love. But I mean really take some time for God...actually stop in the middle of my busy day to just rest in Him, tell him I love him, and remember that He is in full control of my life. I struggle a lot to stay consistent with my quiet times with the Lord and with consistent Bible reading. I can tell when I have been a few days without the Word - I start to get stressed and filled with anxiety and the thoughts in my mind start to process frantically.

Live Like That

"Am I proof
That You are who you say You are
That grace can really change a heart
Do I live like Your love is true

People pass
And even if they don't know my name
Is there evidence that I've been changed
When they see me, do they see You

I want to live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You

If love is who I am
Then this is where I'll stand
Recklessly abandoned
Never holding back"

Transformation

" Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

I love seeing transformation in people. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and become born-again believers, we are transformed. We must accept Jesus; He doesn't force himself on us. It's a choice for us. But once we make that decision, life will never be and is never the same. We are claimed by God as His children, and our lives are radically changed. We view things differently, we see the world through a new lens. We view people differently. Our priorities change, what we spend our time and money on, and practically everything. Our old life passes away. New life enters our soul and spirit.

I WANT A PEPSI

I REACHED MY GOAL! Today marks 1 month that I have gone without pepsi! Actually, not just pepsi, but ALL SODA! All I have had to drink in the last four weeks is pure water...nothing else. I had a number of health reasons why I wanted to cut soda's caffeine out of my life cold turkey, but it was also just for the challenge. Can I actually take something that I absolutely love and am addicted to and just cut it out of my life? I went from drinking 4-5 sodas a day to NOTHING for a month! I thought I was crazy for even coming up with the idea, but I know I needed to do it and I wanted to. I wanted to test my self-discipline as well. Could I actually last? Could I really say no in the face of temptation?