Why is Prayer Such a Fight?

Pray. That word appears 306 times in the Bible. Obviously God thinks that it is important that we pray. I used to have a very good prayer life, but after some things happened to me, my prayer life went away completely. Until this morning that is. I got down on my knees, and talked to God, my what a good feeling that was!! It has been so long! Almost a year of being away from God and it felt so good to feel his presence again. I am so happy! When you don't talk to God you feel dead inside, your eyes darken and you change. Don't let that happen to you. Trust me, whatever sin you are in it is just not worth it. Just take the time, there may be other really important things in your life, but prayer is not one of the things that should be pushed aside. I had missed God so much, being able to talk to my Creator again, it is such a relief to my soul. I want to thank my good friend Hannah for exhorting me a LOT to pray, encouraging me and praying with me. It wasn't easy, but I am finally able to talk to God again, not as closely as before, but that will come with time. I pray that God will help any of you that are struggling in your prayer life, and that He will help you get back up on your feet. Prayer is so important, and the devil knows it too. He'll try to distract us with something, literally anything, to keep us from praying. He knows how powerful it is, and when your not praying, it is easier for him to do what he does best, steal, kill and destroy. We need to shield ourselves from sin, when we are in sin it makes us harder to talk to God. And when we aren't praying and crying out to Him, casting our cares and worries before our Savior, it makes it easier for the devil to attack. This is why we must study God's word, pray and even fast if we must to get our spirit strong in the Lord so we can fight off sin when it comes our way.

May God give you all grace in Jesus name,

Abigail Prudence

I'm going on a Trip! & JOY devotional

Hello everyone, for the next week I will be on vacation visiting a very, very good friend of mine and won't be able to manage my blog as much as normal. I want to apologize for my extreme laziness is posting for you all. I have been extremely busy and haven't been able get the time write something for you all. So I wanted to continue my devotional posts that I was doing at the beginning of the year, this one is from the Joy book again, I hope you all enjoy it!

Joy In Letting Go

Nothing measures up to knowing and living with Jesus. Do we really believe that? We must, because it is what we were created for. That's why nothing else brings lasting satisfaction and joy. If we trust God's Word, we know the truth of this. Why, then, do we strive so hard to find fulfillment elsewhere? It never works-certainly not in any lasting way. Paul knew the secrets to possessing and enjoying the blessings of earthly life is to hold them loosely. Paul held all his blessings loosely because he had found something that mattered even more. He had found life in Christ to surpass the best that this life can offer. That's why he sought to get rid of anything that would hinder or water down a deeper intimacy with his Lord.

    The value we place on Christ can be measured by what we are willing to forego or give up in order to safeguard our relationship with him. It can also be measured by how we react when God takes away something we value. Do we get angry with God? Do we get depressed about it? He removes from us only what he knows will impede our spiritual growth. If we fight against his Providences, inwardly or outwardly, it is an indicator that Christ is not our all. If he were, we would be eager to hunt down and set aside any interference.
    Paul gave up prestige, power, authority, friends, the comforts of prosperity, and eventually his very own life. Is there something in our lives that we know is a spiritual hindrance but have been unwilling to lose for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ is better? For some, it might be a relationship. For others, it might be a particular calling, or a home, or an education. F or still other it might be good health. Whatever it is, letting go of it will lead to joy.
    Many of us are familiar with the now-famous words penned by missionary Jim Elliot months before he was martyred for his faith: "he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep what he cannot lose." Jim knew what Paul did and what we can too - those who leave precious things to follow Christ have no regrets.

Written by Lydia Brownback. From the Godly Woman Adornment Devotional Collection.

Happy fourth of July!

Hi everybody! Happy Fourth of July! I had a great day last night, lots of family, friends and fun :) It was wonderful, we went over to my grandparents place and had all kinds of contests, the ping-pong I got to organize, it was fun :) normally we have fireworks on the fourth of July, but not this year :( We had a city wide ban on it because of the severe drought, oh well. I guess we'll just wait till New Years. But even with the absence of fireworks, it was still awesome. It was fun to play ping-pong again, it's been about a year or so since I've played. I hope I get to play more often. Thank God for the freedom to play ping-pong in a somewhat free nation, Praise God for the few freedoms that we still have, and please protect the ones that we still have, in Jesus Name :)  

It would be great if you could pray for my little Jack Russell terrier puppy Dixie, we are going to take her in today to get her fixed, it's a surgery so I am praying that all will go smoothly :)

Love you all, and God Bless!
Abigail Prudence

Forgiveness Article

Back safe and sound, the only thing scared is my conscience. When I look down at this ring on my hand I go back to the day my father got down on one knee and gave it to me and made me swear to wait for my husband and to be pure. Now every time I look down I see a broken promise. This blog was started 2 years ago to inspire girls to keep the faith, stay pure. I had a moment of weakness and fell into temptation. I pray God will forgive me for my awful example to you, and anyone else that knows that I am follower of Jesus Christ. I have stumbled and am now getting back on my feet as it were. Please take a moment and pray that God will give me grace to get back on the path of the straight and narrow. I know it has been a long time since I have written a scripture inspired article, but I wanted to write one now about forgiveness, thank you all for your patience in waiting for me to write new articles for this blog.

Sin is something that every person that has ever walked on this planet has experienced, it's what makes us human, and God who He is. Jesus Christ was the only One to ever stay completely absent from sin his entire life. A perfect example. When he died on the cross and let out his last words saying 'It is done' it was done for the sin of every person in every nation for the rest of time on this earth. Thank God that we no longer have to sacrifice lambs to cleanse us of our sins, because of Jesus's sacrifice, we have a direct line to God's ear by opening our mouth and praying, he see's all and hears all anyways, and he listens when we pray. When we pour out our sinful life before him and ask for his forgiveness and to give us a clean start, he will wipe out sins away and cast them as far as from the east is from the west, it is washed away for ever!! PRAISE THE LORD! What an amazing love that he has for us! This is the gospel, to every lost soul that has many sins that may seem unforgivable, Jesus Christ has given his blood and can take our stained and dirt covered clothes and turn them into shining white robes! Get down on your knees and plead out your sins to God, He WILL forgive every one of them, and cleanse your spirit and give you a fresh start. Praise God.
  Sometimes we spend too much time focused on our own realm of life, our concerns and our trails. We easily forget that we are in a world of lost sinners, and without someone pointing the way to salvation, they will die in there sins and burn in hell for eternity. I urge you all, remember those that are lost, stay strong in the faith and represent our Lord and Savior as a shining example, and every time you get the chance to talk to anyone, be it the girl at the gas station, or the person at the checkout in the grocery store, or anyone you meet, tell them that Jesus Christ came to cleanse sin, give them a gospel track. At first you might be a little embarrassed, but the more you fall in love with Jesus and his Words the easier it will be! For years I watched my father tell almost everyone he meet about Jesus Christ, and hopefully someday I will be as experienced as he is at sharing the gospel.  Jesus Christ is coming! Are you ready? Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:35-41)

May God bless you all and give you grace today in Jesus's Name, Amen.

Abigail Prudence
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

College article to mull over while I'm gone :)

Hey everyone! I thought I would repost this for you all, since I will be gone for a while. God Bless you All!
What's Wrong With Going to College?

This is going to be pretty long, but just hang in their with me.

There are a lot of young girls who think that the first thing that should come to your mind after you finish your basic education at high school is to run off to college. Let me start this report by saying, this is not true. The primary reasons behind this misconception are:

1, most parents think their daughter needs a good job that earns good money, and to do so, she needs to have a proper education, which cannot be gained by home schooling or other means.

2, Most people think that if you don’t attend a college you will never get a job and are therefore an outcast in some societies. First, we have to ask ourselves the question, why do I have to be this great person, have a career and be successful in the eyes of our modern culture? Let’s see what God has to say about the matter. “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” (Titus 2:3-5) Let’s examine this verse; my usual question when I read just about any verse in the Bible is, what is God trying to say? The first thing I do when I have this question is go to my father and asked him what it means, after I know what it means I can write reports about what I have learned as I am doing so now. In this verse God is saying, first of all, that the older women needs to be in good behavior, not drunk with much wine, not gossipers (false accusers) and that they are knowledgeable about good biblical principles. The next thing He says is that the older, more learned women should teach the younger women. He wants the younger women of each generation to know how to: love their future husband, love their children, have good manners, be fully capable of taking of care of every aspect of home living, and to be willing to obey their own husband so the word of God will not be blasphemed.
Let’s take this verse one-step at a time.

1, the older women are to know godly principals and are to teach the younger women these topics.

2, He wants young girls to be sober, meaning to be in a clear state of mind, not drunk or under the influence of any other mood altering substances.

3, the next thing He says to young girls is that they are to love their husbands. To love a husband the way God wants us to, does not require the training that millions of young girls get from the following: dating, free sex, and being away from your father for very long periods of time, all of which are freely available at almost every college. To properly love a husband, you must train yourself, by serving your father in helping him accomplish his goals for most of your youth, as a young woman in your father’s home. It’s amazing how many different skills that can be acquired just by helping your father in every way you can.
The first book of the bible tells us that it is “not good” for man to be alone. He needs a helper. In fact he was designed by God to need a wife & helpmeet. Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. That was Eve’s job, to help Adam. Since it is clear that men need a helper, wouldn’t it make sense that they have the most capable & skilled helper possible? So, it makes since that Eve would be very capable and skilled. I think we can all agree on that. But what was she supposed to do with these skills? She was supposed to pour all of her skills, talent and beauty into Adam. She was there for him. So, you have to ask yourself, are you going to run off to college to gain skills and knowledge that are going to be used to help another man in his vision, or are you going to train yourself in helping your father accomplish his vision while you are still at home? It’s a choice that every girl will face after finishing their high school education. If you do chose to stay at home helping your family, you will be criticized for it, people expect you to run to college, they don’t expect you to care about your father’s vision. But as a Christian girl that wants to make a difference, you might think that you will accomplish more by gaining a college education. But is that really true? Are you really fulfilling God’s plan for your life by going to college? God created a woman to never leave her father’s protection until the day that she marries; do you think that being away from him in a none Christian atmosphere for months on end is being under his protection? And how can you learn to be his servant and helper if he is far away? All of these questions you will face, so think about it now, and start helping your father now, rather than later. A few sentences ago, we mentioned the topic of “God’s plan for your life”. Let’s call that “God’s Will” for your life.
The following passage, in Paul’s first epistle to Timothy, clearly spells out “God’s will” for younger women: “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. 1Timothy 5:14
So, it seems quite clear that it’s God’s plan for young women to marry and raise children. And the bible even tells us what kind of children, in Malachi 2:15, he explains that one of the primary reasons that he created the husband and wife union was for them to have righteous, faithful Christian, God-fearing children. This desire of Gods is further amplified by the Prophet Isaiah, when he states: And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. Isaiah 54:13
So, how are these children going to “get godly”? How are they going to be “taught of the Lord”? Whose lap will they sit on, to hear about the powerful miracles of Jesus, and who will read them the sweet little edifying stories, on their way to bed? And who will be there to protect them from the evil bombardments of this present world and it’s media? Who will help nourish their little, growing bodies with nutritious home cooked food, and not the processed garbage that most youth pour into their systems like a river. The answer is YOU! And who will mend their torn clothes, when they fall down while riding their bikes? YOU. So, you can see that it’s going take some training to be ready for this “helpmeet” job. Who will be there, throughout their little girls lives, to show THEM what a Christian mother “looks like”, and how to honor your husband, and how to cheerfully clean a bathroom, or do dishes, or iron clothes, or all the nuances of planting, nourishing and harvesting a garden, so that they will be able to have affordable fresh veggies for their husband in the years to come. The list goes on and on – but you can see, again that the mothering part of this helpmeet job is huge. So, as we get back to the point of this article, Will college help you get ready for this? Do they offer Christian Mothering 101, and 202 and 303? As we get back to our list in Titus chapter 2, of what the older women are to teach the younger women.

4, Love your children, that’s the next thing on the list. Love is something that is never ending; if you are one of God’s children he will love you forever (unless you fall into sin & do not repent, but that’s another topic.) Anyways, what I am trying to say is this, God said children, he didn’t say no children or child. He also says in other sections of the bible that children are a blessing from God to the wife and husband, Psalms 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. God wants us to have a very positive outlook on children and not try to get rid of them or to only have one and then say I’m done with this. God will give some women 10 children, while others only 1 or 2. The number doesn’t matter, just embrace whatever number of children God gives you. Unfortunately what a lot of young girls have done is get an abortion, which is murder. God created woman to have children, we should embrace this gift with open arms.

5, Here it tells women to be discreet. In other words God wants us girls to be decent, you know, not wild and untamed like so many college age girls are these days. And one of main reasons girls are like this is because they are around other girls that are very bad influences, and it will rub off badly on you and before you know it you are a child of the world and no longer a child of God.

6, Chaste, usually when this word is used the Bible it means that we are supposed to be chaste in conversation & dress. Meaning that we watch what we say and are slow to speak. Not a blabbermouth or into the latest gossip about so & so, or a showgirl in clothing. I will cover the topic of modesty in another section. Basically God wants young girls to watch what we say and when we do speak, it needs to be intelligent and well founded.

7, Keepers at home. What do you think college is doing for your homemaking skills and learning practical things that you will need everyday when you are married? Our society thinks that if you don’t have the proper education (which can only be gained at a college) you won’t be going anywhere in this world. I try to remind myself quickly that we just have to live in this world, not be a part of it. God’s original rule was that the girl would be protected by a man all her life. When a girl goes out from under her father’s protection, usually around the age of 17, 18 or 19, bad things almost always happen. Also, these are the tender years when character really develops in a young woman and she makes the transition between girl and woman. The environment you are in when this takes place will dramatically influence your behavior & beliefs for the rest of your life! This is not the time to be out with girls that have been trained by the ways of the devil and this world all their life and young men who may be physically attractive, but ultimately extremely dangerous to a young girl. Also in this stage of a girl’s life her hormones are going bonkers, and being around good-looking guys that are not interested in God is, well, not recommended.

8, one of the last sections of this verse tells us girls to be good. Think about that for a minute. What does good mean? To be in good obedience to your parents, good modest apparel, good attitude, and if possible not lose your innocence which is almost impossible when attending a college. Now, God did tell us that we aren’t perfect, Jesus was the perfect One, but he also said, “Be ye thou perfect,” We are going to fall and have temptations, but the stronger we are in Christ and character the less likely this will happen. Correct me if I’m wrong, but what kind of things will you be learning at college? If you are a Christian you are going to be constantly trying to walk the Jesus walk and learn and study things that will glorify Him. Do you think that the public school and even the Christian school systems really has your best interest in mind? Isn’t it interesting that they make sure that they tell us everything we need to know about sex, evolution and finding yourself. But if you look at what college has to offer and on the one side, and then you look at what skills you can gain by being in your father’s house helping him in his endeavors and learning real things that you will need after marriage. Does a young woman need a Business Degree, what do you think that’s for? To run off to work every morning and serve another man, not your husband, in his business endeavors. Also if a girl works she’s carrying the double curse. In the beginning, after the woman fell for Satan’s lie and ate the apple because she wanted to be like God, He gave Adam the curse of bearing the work load and providing for the family, and the curse he gave to the woman was bearing children. If a woman runs off to work she does not only have to bear children, take care of them and her husband, she also has to provide for the family by going to work in a environment, most of the time does not have the Christian based atmosphere in mind. It all goes back to what your personal goal is. If you want to be a ‘career woman’ or have a ‘ministry’ you are without a doubt carrying the double curse. God’s plan for young women is a beautiful, extraordinary thing but so many of us have decided that we don’t really need to train to be a wife and mother, and who really cares of you can’t cook that well, or sew, or take care of children etc. Every single one of these things you will face when you are married. As a young woman you need to study the bible, find out what God says to train on with your father and mother and practice these things.

Now, earlier I mentioned I was going to talk about modesty. This is a very important topic, the way a girl dresses says a lot about what kind of woman she is. If a young girl wears a tank top and short shorts, what kind of message do you think she is trying to send? Either she thinks that it’s just fashion, or she wants to get attention from guys, which (or should I say witch) is mostly the case. God says the way women dresses will mess with a guy’s head, and if you are responsible for some of that sin that he commits, you will carry some sin also. Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. It is a very dangerous thing to play with the way you dress. Unfortunately, a lot of girls don’t view it from this vantage point and are carrying a lot of sexual sin around. Even just the little things will make a guy think, when you wear a shirt and your bra sticks out of the corner, sometimes that triggers a reaction in a man’s mind. We really have to watch the way we dress, it is extremely important. What I’m trying to say is this, when you are getting ready in the morning to represent yourself to the world, think about choosing that long skirt and blouse, instead of that cute skin tight T-shirt and that pair of skinny blue jeans. Just think about it, do you feel differently depending on how you dress? I know I do. I feel more beautiful when I do chose that long skirt, instead of those tight blue jeans that don’t really fit anymore but you wear them anyways. You know what I’m talking about, choose the latter. Don’t be another slut, there are plenty of those, instead stand out and make people think, “she looks like a beautiful young lady” instead of, “wow, she’s hot” at some point you have to make the decision. It’s your choice, how do you want to be perceived by the world?


God Bless Texas, Prudence

Computer break :)

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't been posting many articles, we have been so busy with the move and all :) My family has decided that we are taking a month to two month break on all computer activities, so I won't be here to answer questions, or write articles, for that amount of time. When I am on again, I will definitely let you all know! :D

God Bless,
Abigail

Finally back home

Hi everyone, thank you so much for waiting for me to move. My family and I had a safe trip back to Texas and we all like the house. So, now that I am set up, I will try to work on an article for you all. In the mean time I have been reading a book that we unpacked recently. It's called, 1940's, and it is mostly a picture book of footage taken from WWII, it is very fascinating. The full title of the book is called the Hulton Getty Picture Collection 1940's. Seeing so many images of war makes you think about how blessed we are to not be in a war. Out of 600,000 Jews captured, only 60,000 of them survived through the war, that's 90% dead. Millions and millions of people died all over the world for the freedom of others. Thank God for the freedoms that we sill have. Let's try not to forget the sacrifices that all those soldiers made for us and our nation. :)

May God Bless and keep you all,
Abigail Prudence

tag

High heels or Boots? Depends on where I am going, I like both!
What time did you get up this morning? around 9
What was the last movie you saw at the cinema? Iron Man 2
What is your name? Abigail
What is you favorite TV show?
What do you usually have for breakfast? cereal or eggs & potatoes.
What is your middle name? Prudence
What food do you dislike? Fish
What is your favorite CD at the moment? Classic Sinatra 1953-1960
Favorite clothing? anything that is bright turquoise blue
Anywhere in the world on vacation? Australia
Are you an organized person? Yes
Where will you retire to? If I live that long by God's grace, somewhere nice with my husband.
What was your most recent memorable birthday? 13
What are you going to do after you finish this? Go to sleep
What is your Birthstone? Garnet
Person you expect to publish this first? I don't know
When is your birthday? January
Are you a morning person or a night person? Both
What is your shoe size? 9/half or 10
Do you own any pets? yes, 4
Any news you would like to share? I parted my hair to the side recently
When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up? owner of a bakery
What is your favorite flower? White rose
What is a day on the calender you are looking forward to? September 1
If you were a crayon what color would you be? bright blue
How is the weather right now? cold and wet
Last person you spoke to on the phone? Dad
Favorite drink? Rootbeer or sweet ice tea with lemon
Favorite Restaurant?
Hair color? Brown
What was your favorite toy as a child? don't remember
Summer or Winter? Summer
Choclate or vanilla? Chocolate
Coffee or Tea? both, but mostly tea
Wish you were still young? I'm only 16! :D
Do you want your friends to publish this? Sure
When was the last time you cried? A few days ago
What is under your bed? Nothing, my bed contacts the floor
What did you do last night? sleep, dream, ect.
What are you afraid of? Great White sharks
Salty or Sweet? both,
Best Quality you have? not sure,
Favorite day of the week? Wednesday or Saturday
What friend will you tag? Sarah Grace

Once Again, I'm Moving!

Hello everyone! Thank you to all my readers of my blog, I love seeing how many hits my articles get and I LOVE your comments, thank you so much for following my blog. I wanted to tell you all that it might be a while till I write my next article, right now I am in the process of moving once again. This is the fourth move I've made, this time I am going back to Texas again. Texas is my hometown, but right now I am in Missouri, and I will be back in San Antonio in 5 days. Thank you all for reading my writing and posts, I love you all and I can't wait to write another article for you!

May God bless and keep you all!
Abigail Prudence

Contentment ~ Could it be Sin?

So, this is the last of the 4 books in the Godly Woman's Adornment set. Contentment, so far I really like this book, just like all of the other books, a lot of wonderful words of encouragement, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.




Contentment ~ Could it be Sin?

Joshua knew better, of course. He knew that God had brought the Israelites into the Promise Land to bless them, not to destroy them. But he was frustrated because they had just lost what should have been an easy-to-win battle against the Amorites. What was God doing?
We find ourselves in similar situations from time to time, and when we do, we, too, are baffled about what God is up to. We are careful to follow God's ways, and we believe his promises, and yet our circumstances are just not working out. In the midst of his discouragement, Joshua wished he had never taken his preceding steps of risky faith. How much easier life was before! In the moment he forgets that trust in God's faithfulness and his joy in the Promised Land are obliterated by one defeat.
Our contentment evaporates just as quickly when things go wrong in our lives. We begin to think back on an easier time, a time that, while perhaps not perfect, held a lot less pressure.
For Joshua, the Promised Land was surely much nicer than the wilderness, but at least in the wilderness someone else-Moses-had been in charge. now Joshua was leading the Israelites, and the weight of the Amorite defeat fell squarely on his shoulders. but God had a reason for the defeat, and rather than allowing Joshua to wallow in misery, he answered his cry. "Get up!" the Lord said. "why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned.... There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you" Joshua 7:10, 13). Unbeknownst to Joshua, an Israelite named Achan had failed to follow God's express orders to destroy all the treasures, the "devoted things," taken from their enemies in battle. Achan kept back a little of these riches for himself, and his secretive act was what had brought great trouble on the entire Israelite army.
Could our present trial be the result of sin? If so, we won't have to look far to find it. We don't have to engage in endless speculation about what our sin might be; God is always willing to show us our sin. Sometimes, though, we refuse to see it, or we minimize it. "Well, I am still struggling to give up that bad habit, but it's such a little thing. How could that have anything to do with my difficulty?" But God does not ask us to connect all the dots. He just asks us to be obedient. If there is a connection, God will make it, just like he did with Joshua. Maybe there is a connection between our unrepentant sin and our difficulty, and maybe not. The point isn't to figure out if there is a connection and then to obey-it is simply to obey. We cannot rightly ask for or expect to be restored to a place of peace and to see God's blessings on our lives if we are treating sin lightly.
Are you finding your circumstances frustrating right now? If so, God has a good reason. Perhaps it is his way of getting you to deal with your sin. Rather than turning back to an easier time in your life, turn to God and examine your heart. he will gladly show you sin that you may be harboring. He showed Joshua, and Joshua purged out the wrong with no delay. Afterward victory against the Amorites came easily.

God Bless you all,
Abigail Prudence

Trust Devotion ~ The What-If Woman

This is a chapter from the next devotion book, Trust. It is one of the three books written by Lydia Brownback in the Godly Woman's Adornment series.


The What-If Woman

Many of us are what-if women. What-if women spend a good deal of energy and time worrying not only about what might happen and about what they should say and do, but also about what others think about what they say and do.
"What if I lose my job in the upcoming round of lay-offs?"
"What if I can't conceive?"
"I just can't get to the part next week. What if Sally never invites me again?"
Such worry about what may happen is fruitless. Think about it: our hovering over a situation cannot actually prevent the thing we are worried about from happening. The what-ifs can begin the moment we wake up and often last right on through the day. But God doesn't want us to be what-if women. What-iffing not only zaps our energy, it also indicates a lack of trust in God's wise and loving control over our affairs. He who cares to number every hair on our heads-something not even the vainest of us bothers to do - cares much more about our trusting him with the upkeep of our homes, our health, our mobility, and our relationships with other people. Since he not only cares about these things but is also able to do something about them, he wants us to leave the ordering to him.
When we trust God to run our lives, we find that we are free to enjoy him and other people-free to live and love, because He is taking care of things. We are designed to glorify God and enjoy him, not to spend our energies worrying about the details of daily life or fearing the pain of major crises. He will always supply what he knows we really need for every circumstance we face. Freedom from fear comes from believing that. It comes also from opening our hearts to embrace God's supply, even if his supply differs from what we think we need.

Purity Devotion ~ A Pure Heart

Here it is! My first purity devotion post. I will be rotating through the four different books every few days :) Thank you all for supporting these devotion posts. Enjoy!


We don't hear the word purity much today except in descriptions of cleaning agents and snow covered landscapes. We do hear the word spoken more frequently in the Christian community, but usually only as it applies to sexual purity. We have lost sight of all it means to be pure as God intended. So what does it mean? Purity is much more than moral behavior. Purity is first and foremost a matter of the heart. To be pure is to be single-minded. It is to have a single goal, a single focus, and a single purpose for ourselves and our lives. That is biblical purity, and from it springs moral behavior - the good we do with our bodies. At its core, purity is having a heart for the Lord that isn't watered down or polluted by lesser things.
The apostle James wrote, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (James 4:8) According to James, a double-minded woman spends her passion going after what this world offers. In contrast, Jesus describes a very different sort of passion: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38). Elsewhere Jesus attaches a promise to purity: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God Matthew 5:8). To see God is to know the joy of living in close relationship with him. To see him is also to enjoy Spirit-filled, biblically guided direction and guidance for all of life. A woman who is pure in this way realizes an ever-increasing ability to rightly apply God's Word to the little day-to-day things.
Putting Christ first i the essence of purity. That is why Jesus words in the beatitude, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," are the starting point for any woman who is serious about being pure But the beatitude is not only our starting point; it is also the place to end. Jesus' words form a basis for the kind of purity that will endure for a lifetime. Viewing purity from a biblical perspective takes our understanding of what it means to be pure beyond mere outward conduct to a whole new level - a deeper level. And if we approach purity as Jesus describes it, we will discover that our battle to be pure in body, as well as in mind and spirit, comes much more easily.
We women struggle, often with little success, to master particular sins - outward displays of impurity. Perhaps that's because we have been trying to clean up our act while failing to see the impurity of our heart. What are we to do? We can't clean our own heart. besides, the extent of its dirt and sin is beyond our comprehension. A heart is made pure as Christ washes and cleans it. I once heard someone pray, "Lord wash my heart." That's a good prayer. But becoming pure in heart doesn't end with prayer. It comes as we lean on grace. It comes as we acknowledge our utter inability to become pure women and our need for Christ to make us clean and to purify us through and through. Putting Christ first takes care of everything else.
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God bless you all, and may the Lord give you grace as you try to put him first :)
Abigail Prudence
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Joy Devotion ~ Joy In God's Place

Hi everyone! Since I got so many requests, I have decided that I will be posting my devotions regularly! If anyone has a particular book out of the four that they would like me to post, please leave a note in the comments :D These devotions have encouraged me so much, I would like to thank my father for getting me these books, they have helped me grow in the Lord. So thanks Dad, I know you love me and love to watch me as I learn more about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I love you, thank you for taking care of me <3.

Joy in God's Place

For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. (1 Chronicles 16:26-27)

We always-every moment, without exception-pursue what we believe will make us happy. For some it's a particular relationship. For others it's a certain home. For still others it's a career path. Whatever it is, we devote ourselves to getting it, pursuing it with all our energy and every resource we have. We are certainly free to delight in the material and relational blessings God brings us, but if we believe our happiness is dependent on them, it's because, whether we realize it or not, we don't really believe God is enough for us.
We say that God is enough, but the fact that we hover and worry and fret when our goals and hopes don't pan out proves otherwise. Jesus said "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). How do we respond when something we value is taken away? Do we cling to Christ in our sorrow or disappointment, or do we resist him and set ourselves on a determined course to prevent the loss or recapture it? Our attitude toward God in life's ups and downs is always the most honest depiction of what we really believe.
We will never ultimately find the happiness we seek in anything this world offers-even the good things-because we have been wired to find it in God alone. Joy is found only in God's "place," wherever and however he leads us deeper into his fellowship. Joy-biblical joy-is one way for us to know if we are dwelling in God's place. Godly joy springs from living in harmony with God, having a mind set on pleasing him. If that underlies our pursuits, we are in God's place.
If we insist on defining and establishing our own place, we won't find joy, nor will we ever get to where we think we want to go. James Boice wrote:

If you think you are going to get rich through a job that excludes God and a Christian witness, God will let you get close enough to the wealth to taste it but then keep it just beyond your grasp. If you think you are going to become famous in show business and are willing to leave the commands of God behind in your upward scramble to get there, God will let you get close enough to know and envy others who have made it but keep you an unknown. Do you think that God will not do this: That He is too "kind?" I tell you that God will do it, he is faithful to his nature and will not allow the one He loves to be destroyed through an adulterous infatuation with this world's idols.

God's place is first place, whether it be in our relationships, our homes, or our jobs, and he will reign there only if he reigns supreme in our hearts.
Concerning all the varied details of your life, are you dwelling in God's place or your own? Joy, or lack thereof, is a way to know. Joy is always present where God reigns supreme.

God Bless you all,
Abigail Prudence
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