Inspritational Mondays - Lauralea Harriot

By Lauralea of Of A Single Heart

1. Why did you choose Christ?
I chose Christ as a little girl because I knew I was never going to be good enough to get to heaven on my own! I was a classic good girl, always doing things the right way, but for myself. I wanted the credit. I wanted the fame. The glory. The power. I came to the end of myself and realized I was only human. Christ pursued me and I came to the end of myself. I believed that Jesus Christ could make me right with God, believed He died for me, and have followed Him ever since. Life has its ups and downs and I'll never be perfect, but acknowledging my imperfection and turning to Jesus fill my lack of perfection is all I need to be accepted in God's family. I've learned you don't always need to have a really bad history to come to Christ. God gives grace to good girls too, if they stop being good for the sake of 'being good' and come to Him in repentance of self-righteousness.

2. How did you change?
I changed my motives. With the Holy Spirit in me, I stopped doing things for my own merit and popularity. It has been a struggle, no doubt. I'm still not perfect nor will be. But God gives grace and I'm going to live in that. I want to serve my King! Being good for goodness sake didn't satisfy me. It just made me a real snobby goody-goody. Now my focus is making Christ known, not me. I have been able to do things for God through being a friend, being more open to the next thing God plops in front of me, helping in Muslim & immigrant outreaches, mentoring tween girls at my church, teaching children's classes at my church, and this fall I'll be going to Africa for a few months to work with orphans and at-risk girls. It's not about me anymore. It's Jesus! Anything good you see in me is because of Him.

We hope your were inspired! Love your Monday! Interested in learning more about us?? Click here to learn "Why We Change" and click here to read "How We Change".

#OldSelfNewCreation

Eph. 4:22-24

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Inspirational Mondays - Elise Lockamy

By Elise of Warrior Lessons

1. Why did you choose Christ?
 Christ chose me (2 Thess. 2:13; Colossians 3:12-17). 

When my mother tells the story of my birth she never forgets two critical details. She reminds the listeners that I was the only little brown baby in the nursery - as I was born in a Jewish hospital. As per custom, a Rabbi blesses every baby born in that hospital, and I was no exception. As the Rabbi returned me to my mother's arms, he said, "God says this is a special baby." That's the second, and most humbling, critical detail of the story.

That's the end of my birth story but also the beginning of my post-partum romance with Christ. He wooed me in the hospital nursery, spoke promises over my life then, and continues to amaze with his love and kindness.

I was hurting... bad. It was my sophomore year of college and I was so heavy. I cannot fully describe the extent of the weight but it was enough to propel me to surrender. I was taking Nyquil to fall asleep. Negative thoughts would not stop running through my head. My parents were driving me crazy. I was worried about my sisters. I felt alone and afraid. I woke up one morning and had a demonic revelation. Something told me to search the medicine cabinet, find some pills, and end it all. I knew I was hearing the voice of the enemy and I ran upstairs to the dormitory chapel, knelt down, and cried out to God. When I closed my eyes, a figured appeared. It was Christ, his arms outstretched. This was not my first encounter with the Lord, and it would not be my last, but it was so critical that I record it in my spiritual history as an altar moment. He literally saved my life.

Christ wanted me to live; he showed me that he himself was alive and present. He chose this special baby and she continues to abide in him.

2. How did you change?
Phase 1 - Big Bad God
In the beginning of my spiritual walk, I put down explicit music and parties. I diligently paid my tithes, and attended church religiously. I was afraid of disappointing God and "getting in trouble". I did not understand forgiveness, grace, and religiosity vs. relationship. At the same time, I was testing the Christianity waters. I joined a sisterhood and learned how to fast and pray. I joined the choir and learned how to sing songs of praise and worship unto the Most High. I learned how to search Scripture for truth.

Phase 2 - Obedience
I began to understand that God required more than just abstention from certain places, music or materials. I began to diligently read his Word. In fact, I would drool when reading the Bible; it was (and continues to be) delicious! I heard his voice and followed every instruction. (Story: Man, I was obsessed with music. It was how I coped. But the messaging wasn't always positive and the songs affected my mood, mindset, and behavior. I put it down. Some time later God whispered that I should buy a MP3 player. I said, "But God, how will I hear your voice?". He replied, "You listen with your heart.")

Phase 3 - Pride and the Desert
See I was feeling myself. I thought: "God, look at me. I am reading your Word. I am doing exactly what you want me to do. I don't hang around those people. Look at that spiritual gifts you let manifest in me. I am the bomb(dot)com (Tamar Voice)." I grew self-righteous. And I was masking true relationship and surrender with performance. God took me through a desert season like none other. I could not hear his voice. I succumbed to temptation. I lost my sense of self. And I couldn't figure out why God was not helping me! My self-righteousness was preventing a true revelation of who Christ is.

Phase 4 - Healing and Peace
The Bible describes God/Christ as Potter, Shepherd, Father, Friend, and Lover. In all phases, the Potter is shaping and refining us to look more like Christ. He leads and cares for us as a Shepherd leads a flock. In another phase, we learn how accessible he is; he's up all night with us just as a best friend would be. Now, I know him as Father and Lover. My Daddy has swept me off my feet in the past 18 months. My hands are off the steering wheel and I am not afraid. I let my Lover drive the car down the road of righteousness and victory. And everything he tells me about myself, I believe. I am beloved by Him. He is well-pleased. He wants to lavish me with love. I receive it all!

Phase 5 - To Be Determined
I'll keep you posted!

We hope your were inspired! Love your Monday! Interested in learning more about us?? Click here to learn "Why We Change" and click here to read "How We Change".
#OldSelfNewCreation

Eph. 4:22-24

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My Struggle Is Not For Me

Many people know us as the women with many sisters and not much about my brother. Let's be honest, it’s hard to get attention when you have five women with you! LOL We love our brother and he was an amazing person. He recently passed at the age of 30. We can't lie, we were confused. We never wanted to question God and why He will let this happen because we know God was in control. However, we were hurt and lost. All we could think about was there has to be more to life. My brother died and the world didn't stop even though our hearts almost did. We left work early that day and guess what? The work was going to get done whether we were there or not. Our little sister left school, but guess what? The teacher was going to keep teaching. Nothing in this world changed, nothing stopped, even though we felt like it should have.

I was in DC getting ready to travel home to Chicago for the wake and the funeral. I cried a few times since I found out about my brother, but I had not mourned yet. I was going on with my life because I was not ready to deal with the pain. I wasn't ready because that meant I would have to talk to God about it. I was not ready for that. The day of the wake I was scared because that meant this was the day it would become real to me. I was not ready for that either. On the day of the wake, I just couldn’t look at my brother. My dad had to walk me up to the casket and tell me to look at him. He said, "Baby, you need to mourn now so tomorrow you can be strong for others." I was already crying, but when I finally look at my brother it was like my knees were not holding me up anymore. It was my father. I was confused, hurt, and I just didn't understand. He was only 30? Why now? Did he live out his purpose? Was this the life God wanted for him? All these questions were running through my mind, but I forgot what was important. Shortly after crying in my father's arms, he said, "Baby, remember God keeps His promises." Right then, at that very moment, a peace came over me. My heart beat slowed down, my tears of sorrow became tears of joy, and I started to smile. All I could think about was that I serve a faithful God and He does keep His promises. I knew that my brother was living a better life right now and I would see him again one day. That's a joy that no one could ever take from me.

Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles/freeditigalphotos.net

A few months later, I was visiting my friend's church.  It was the moment in the service where people could go to the altar and give their sorrows and pain to God. I was sitting in my seat praying for my love ones around me. All of a sudden, I heard this lady cry out, "Lord I can't do it. They took my son, I can’t do it anymore." An instant emotion came over me and I immediately started to cry. As I sat in my seat, I began to pray for the lady. It made me think about my brother and how I wanted to give her the peace that God gave me. God told me to get up and share it with her. So I went to the altar where she was crying and told her exactly what my dad told me. The Lord keeps His promises. She grabbed my hand tight and her prayer changed from "I can't do this anymore" to "God get me through this day." All you could see was the same peace God gave me, He gave her. She slowly began to calm herself. . At that very moment, on that very day, I knew that my struggle and pain was for the glory of God. The peace I received was just not for me, but also for this lady that I never met. We hope and pray that this story was for you too. God puts us through things even when we are not ready for them so we can remember to depend on Him and only Him. We serve a God that does things in decent and in order. That was my brother’s time whether I was ready for it or not. We have to remember that God is in control. Always and forever. (Proverbs 19:21) We can’t be afraid to share our wounds and struggles because they are not just for us, but for others and the glory of God.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

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Have you been through a struggle or a hardship? Don't be the bag carrier or an army brat. Use your struggle for God’s glory!

We did a photo shoot with Olujr Photography. He is an amazing artist! Check out our Facebook page and Instagram to see some more pics!

  

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Eph. 4:22-24

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Inspirational Mondays - Lauren Martin

Lauren Martin of Unashamed

1. Why did you choose Christ?
Growing up in a Christian home means you know how to fluently speak "Christianeze." For as long as I can remember I have known the stories of Joseph, Daniel, Moses, Noah, Adam and Eve etc... I could easily answer questions about Christ's birth, death and resurrection. Even as a child I knew what it meant to be regenerated, justified and sanctified, but that didn't mean I personally knew what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. There was head-knowledge but not life-knowledge, as I like to put it.

I remember being around 8 years old, sitting on my dad's lap and say "Daddy, I want to go to Heaven. I love Jesus and I know what He died for me. I want to follow Him for the rest of my life." I chose Christ because it was so clear in my mind that there was nothing else in the world that could save me from death. God had sent his son to die for me and either I could live my life mocking and rejecting Him or live a life honoring and pleasing to Him and know that one day I would be in Heaven with Him.

2. How did you change?
I definitely can't say that my change was an overnight success story. I didn't go from being this wild, disobedient child to a perfect saint. The truth is, I have struggled a lot. I have sinned over and over. I allowed myself to be dragged into a lot of worldly behavior throughout high school. The change is that through all of the sin, failures and mistakes God draws me back to Him. No matter how many times I fall He doesn't leave me on the ground. So many people spend their lives trying to climb out of the pit of unhappiness. They rely on their own strength to help them out of depression, hurt and anger, but without God they will never make it out.

With Christ in my life, I will always come back to the truth and I will always be led by the light. When I struggled so greatly with depression, the Lord took me from that place because I am His child. So when someone asks me "how did I change," I don't tell them how I was a sinner and now I am not, because I still am a sinner. The change came from the fact that I am covered by Christ's blood and no matter how many times I mess up He will still love me, draw me to Him, and lead me in His way. The change in me is not my own, but it is the Holy Spirit working through me as I am being remade as a child of God.

We hope your were inspired! Love your Monday! Interested in learning more about us?? Click here to learn "Why We Change" and click here to read "How We Change".

#OldSelfNewCreation

Eph. 4:22-24

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Traffic Jams...Will They Just Drive!

Image Courtesy of freeditigalphoto.net/feelart

Do you ever sit in your car and wonder, “Why is there a traffic jam? There's no parade. So why aren't these people driving?!" We begin to get upset because we believe we are the only ones in a rush to go nowhere. As we continue to wonder, we hope that it's not an accident because we will feel bad for being impatient. Then you notice them...the gappers! Gappers are the drivers who decided to have 25 car lengths in between them and the driver in front of them during rush hour. All in all, we realize the traffic jam is not their fault so we continue to sit there and wait. After sitting in traffic for about 30 minutes, we finally start to move. Isn't that the worse? We continue to think, "Who was the one person who caused this 30-minute traffic jam?"  This is sin. Sin is like that one person who caused a traffic jam for everyone else. When we commit sin it does not just affect our relationship with God, but everyone around us.

Ever have a friend that considers themselves a Christian, but their lifestyle says otherwise? They get drunk every other weekend, they treat people anyway they feel, they do everything the Bible says they should not do, etc. Since they go to church on Sunday and pay tithes, they believe it should be enough to call themselves Followers of Christ. We were those girls. We were very prideful, showed love to others when we felt like it, got drunk, lacked forgiveness, slept with our little boyfriends, the list goes on. We attended church on the regular and believe that was enough. One day, one of us had a conversation with a friend who was an atheist. He told me, "You and I do the same things so I feel like I am doing nothing wrong." Honestly, I couldn't even disagree because he was right. As Christians, we are supposed to reflect Christ in all parts of our life. I am supposed to lead people to Christ by my lifestyle; instead I was making my friend feel good about his life without Christ. My sins were putting stumbling blocks in front of him. Paul's letter to the Corinthians tells us to be careful about exercising our liberties (1 Corinthians 8:9) and discrediting our platform for Christ (2 Corinthians 6:3) as they will become stumbling blocks for others. I was doing just that because I made my life about me. Could I call myself a true Follower of Christ? Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly it is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do. (Isaiah 29:13) We were those lukewarm Christians. Could I say that I loved God? Those who love Him keep His commands. (Deuteronomy 7:9, John 14:15) I really didn't love Him because I loved myself more not realizing it was causing me and others around me to stumble.

Our sins affect us and our sin affects others. That is why in the New Testament it is called "The Body of Christ" because we are one. For example, if you discovered your pastor was committing adultery that would affect your view not just of him, but the people he appointed, the people in the church, and even the things he taught you. Why? Because we are a body. The best way to live for Christ is to lead by example regardless if we are around a family member, co-worker, or friend. If your life reflects Christ, the people around you will know who you follow and not second guess it. We need to seek Him and build a relationship with Him that makes you never want to sin. We will never be sinless, but to be conscious of sins and not to live in sin we must obtain. (Romans 3:20) Having a relationship with God is an everlasting journey that will intensify the human experience beyond your wildest hopes and dreams. Life will not be perfect, but it will be whole. He is the sin vaccination to the universal. He did this through sacrifice. (John 3:16) Isn't that mind boggling? God is so crazy faithful and amazing. He took the sacrifice and we have to allow Him to take the place in our heart. How can we allow God to save us, but not change us? We have to let Him reside in the very place that makes you who you are. Your heart. Paul explained, "It is no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in me. (Galatians 2:20). We have to stop creating traffic jams in our lives because not only is it frustrating and a waste of time, but it stops us from getting where we need to be. 

We blame our mother for these sweaters....Lol

Click here to learn why we change.

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Eph. 4:22-24

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Inspirational Mondays - Daisy

1. Why did you choose Christ?
Jesus coming into my life started with a series of events. A lot of it has become a blur, but it started with a car accident 6 years ago. The accident itself didn’t faze me too much, but it was the months after that did. I had troubles with my vision. Frustration was like a massive boulder weighing me down every day. I couldn’t pick up a book and read it. Everyone including my family, friends, and neurological optometrist all told me that I would regain my normal vision gradually, but it felt like they were telling me that Santa Claus was real.

I got scolded whenever I resorted to wearing two pairs of glasses just to get past a few pages, but it was all I could do. The last few weeks of my summer were creeping up and somehow I was signed up for Glory (Church retreat) and packed to go. And when I got to the retreat center, I realized that the pages in the Bible were clear! I kept telling myself, “Don’t get your hopes up, Daisy. It’s only because the words are larger,” but the feeling of relief did not leave. All I knew was that the boulder weighing me down began to crumble and my anxieties dissipated.

I returned home from the retreat and there was youth group the next day. I had to be dropped off at church early, so I brought my unread copy of Black and Blue. I sat in the back and opened to the first page. To my surprise, the words were crystal clear. I remember it profoundly; after the 11th page, I called my mom, my dad, the person responsible for my attending Immanuel in the first place. I got through 27 pages before everyone even arrived.

Honestly, if asked if there was a day or a moment that I accepted Jesus into my life, I can’t give a clearly defined answer. But through all the ups and downs of the last few years, I can stand firm in front of everyone today and confidently say that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. He led to me to start the search for Him. As for today? Today is just another beginning of getting to know Him even more.

2. How did you change?

It was my freshman year of college and not long after I became a Christian/found God. I loved Immanuel and I still do. At that time, I had a love for Him that I wanted to share it with the world. Week after week, I would ask all of my friends to join me on the van ride to Westfield for service. I would tempt them with the awesome lunch provided before service and with the freedom of hearing me nag them multiple times a day. I asked them to give Immanuel a chance, to give Jesus a chance.

Over the last three years of college, I lost that fearlessness…or more accurately described, my fear of societal rules became more fearful than my fear of God. I became a resident assistant at my college. Promoting “my religion” was prohibited as a representative of Residence Life to avoid offending individuals of other faiths. This quickly became the norm for me in school and then at work. I held fast onto my pride and pushed myself to obtain what society considered to be success whether it was grades, money, or career. I set God aside.

I went through a series of baptism classes in 2007, but was never baptized. I learned that it takes time to grow up; in fact I’m still growing. Looking back at the last three years of college, I wasn’t happy. I was continuously chasing after worldly fleeting wants in life instead of holding fast to God. It's been close to two years since my graduation. Although still in transition of this, I’m learning to share God with those around me in little ways whether at my work place, my classes, my parent’s business, the soup kitchens I volunteer with, etc. I have happiness living for God and that is a happiness that I am re-learning how to share with the world. I've learned to let go of the empty wants in life and prioritize what's most important. The one who I can 100% rely on is God alone. I live everyday by striving to mimic his love.

We hope your were inspired! Love your Monday! Interested in learning more about us?? Click here to learn "Why We Change" and click here to read "How We Change".

#OldSelfNewCreation

Eph. 4:22-24

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Inspirational Mondays - Angela Powell

1. Why did you choose Christ?
Out of my own desperation, at the age of 12, I responded to the Lord's call with a "yes." Because of the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit, I began to understand how He had led me to the moment of surrender. I realized that He was with me and drawing me to Him all along. So, I chose Him/said "yes" after I realized that He chose me! God initiated all of it.

2. How did you change?
My "change" started with the "yes" in my heart. I can remember the very moment when the Holy Spirit filled my heart. I was overwhelmed by His loving and powerful presence. Because I KNEW that He now lives in me, I surrendered every part of my life to the Lord. That means that EVERYTHING (school, choice of friends, and other decisions) in my life from that moment on was under His lordship. The Lord's been transforming me ever since, through a growing relationship with Him.

We hope your were inspired! Love your Monday! Interested in learning more about us?? Click here to learn "Why We Change" and click here to read "How We Change".

#OldSelfNewCreation

Eph. 4:22-24

Follow @TheBoydSisters