Long story short I ended up quitting my job at north point and taking a little "mental health" time after I found out I was pregnant.
Weekday is an awesome place to be and it very rarely has openings because no one wants to leave! So I knew ahead of time that my position would be filled and it would take time for me to get back.
But I do remember writing down a little prayer for my prayer box asking to eventually have a job, but ultimately be working in a healthy environment with godly people.
And here I am almost a year later working at BBCC's Weekday program! How my heart needed this to! I work for a great leader who is always loving on us, always looking out for us, and even bringing us treats! She pushes us to be better, but is also aware of the needed friendship.
This morning we had a meeting with all 3 campus Weekdays.
Now I have been to a lot of early morning, on your day off, useless information meetings. But this meeting was completely different. Instead of wasting our time, our bosses invested their own time into us.
We were each given our own cute little clipboard and also a printed out copy of Ephesians. We were then given an hour to find a place alone and have some time with God.
Have time to really digest these words.
And ultimately do some personal healing and growth in our own hearts.
This is what God spoke to my heart in that one hour.
Ephesians is a book in the bible. But it isn't just long paragraphs with big words I don't understand. It is actually a letter from Paul to the christians in Ephesus. God told Paul exactly what He wanted the Ephesus' and ultimately us as well to know.
Ephesians 4:18-19
" You must no longer live as the Gentiles (none christians) do. They are darkened in they're understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. "
This speaks so true to me specially. Coming from a very Christian background I have had many " come to Jesus moments." But something I never changed was the way I was living. Because of this I was never able to be close to God. I was separated from the life with God. My heart was hardened with sin. I was still engaging in the things, no matter how small, that God specifically told us was wrong. I had lost my sensitivity or in other words my consensus. I was giving in to sin and not even fully realizing the affect it was having on my heart. Sin is the exact opposite of God. Sin is from the devil. Sin brings you further and further from God.
If your life reflects sin you are currently separated from God.
But You Get A Second Chance!
You Get a Third Chance!
Even A Fourth!
As many chances as it takes.
Because God is a God of love and mercy. He loves you to much to let you slip away. He loves me to much to not give a chance to be close to Him. To feel His love.
Ephesians 4: 22-24
" .... put off your old self, which is corrupted by its deceitful desires; be made in the attitude of your minds; put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. "
Throw your old sinful, angry, depressed, hurting, hated, no self esteem, no self worth, whatever it is self AWAY! Be made new! You can be a new person! You can be free! You get another chance at life here on earth!
Are you ready for the following versus's? This is going to speak deep. This is going to be long. You're going to want to skip over parts. But this is going to apply directly to you. This is going to leave you with the reality that you need to make some changes.
Ephesians 4:25
" Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor."
No more pretending! No more acting like a christian with you're Godly friends and the complete opposite with your non godly friends. No more only talking about God when something goes wrong or you need help. God specifically told Paul we need to speak truthfully that means what we say in regard to God, when we give off the image of being a Godly person, we need to be truthful. We need to practice what we preach. We need to actually be living it. No more living in sin and then posting Facebook status's about loving God. We have no excuse. God has all ready caught on to our game. We can fool everyone else, but we can't fool God.
Ephesians 4: 26-31
" In your anger do not sin. He who was been stealing must steal no more no longer. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander."
Ephesians 5: 3-4
" Their must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should their be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking."
This specifically hits home.
Ephesians 5: 6
"Let no one deceive you with empty words. DO NOT BE PARTNERS WITH THEM!"
Ephesians 4: 5
" For this can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person has any inheritance in the kingdom of God."
God so specifically says all of those things will bring me away from Him! Like I said before sin separates us from God. Once we acknowledge our sin and acknowledge that Christ is our Savior we are guaranteed to live in heaven. No matter what you do you once you believe this you will be heaven one day. God wanted it this way. He knows we are weak, but He loved us so much He had to do something! He wanted us in heaven with Him! He has gifts and rewards waiting for us! He talks of it so clearly in His Word, the Bible. So God brought His son, Jesus to earth to die for our sins. To make it as if we never sinned. To wash us white as snow. The verse above is saying not that we won't go to heaven if we con't. to sin, but that we will lose closeness with Him on earth. And ultimately we will have to face Him in heaven and lose one of our many of rewards.
But don't stress! God loves you! He loves me! He also gives us ways to help live a life without sin. It's almost like instructions.
Ephesians 5:8-13
" For you were once in darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness (sin) but rather expose them! Everything exposed by the light becomes visible."
I love that God says to have nothing to do with sin, but instead expose it! I think this was and still is crucial for me. I needed to expose myself to sin. I needed to acknowledge that what I was doing went against everything God said and then I needed to work toward changing those things.
Ephesians 5:15
" Be careful. Then, how you live-not as unwise, but wise. Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lords will is. Do not get drunk with wine, instead be filled with the spirit ( God). Speak to one another psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Make music in your heart for the Lord, giving thanks for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
When he says speaks to another in psalms and hymns and songs. He is meaning praise God. Share God with others. Psalms is a chapter in the bible full of poems and songs all written lovingly for God. Hymns are also songs.
Here's the thing you accept Christ as your Savior and God as your God and you acknowledge that you sinned. You are saved. You get to go heaven that is all there is to it.
And these simple words you can say to God how ever you want to.
Your sins no longer exist. You don't have to die because of them. You can keep doing whatever you want after you pray this prayer and you still get to go to heaven.
God loves you and that is why he asks you to not sin. He tells you to stay away from certain things and avoid certain behaviors or habits. God knows that with everything comes consequences. And one of those is that sin will separate you from Him. And He loves you. It breaks His heart to be far away from you and really if you choose to sin you are pushing Him away.
Why not embrace a God who has never once spoken anything but love to you.
If you have questions about being saved, going to heaven, sin, whatever. Ask me.
