Another lunch break, another fast day, and another full mind…
…is how I’m coming again to this blog entry this Monday. I had a sweet weekend at Doug’s wedding in Wilmington, NC, and a fantastic Sunday yesterday. I talked to Charisma during my last three hours of the drive home, going on a walk down memory lane together of our first week of knowing each other face-to-face. It was a great conversation of a wonderful an blessed time. We have a start to our relationship that is something to be proud of an thankful to God for.
Yesterday marked the third month since the beginning of my relationship with Charisma Andrews. I miss her fanatically, am learning about her enthusiastically, and am feeling confirmed deeply of God's blessing us together.
This morning, following a good 3 ½ hours of sleep, I went to work to begin my second week at Dynamic, and I was making a little smalltalk with one of the guys I worked with when I was here as an intern 3 years ago. We reminisced about projects we worked on and he updated me on some details I wasn’t aware of, details that showed how good of a CEO that Karl Stolzfus is and how well off the company is doing. Then he surprised me when he said, “we’re blessed, and you know, that’s what happens when God runs the company.” He went on to say how he was prayed into his job there, and how a Christian company like this is setting God above itself and is being blessed through it, and that he’s glad to be working here and that most everyone who comes brings more blessing to the company. He pointed out me in particular to be one who is brining blessing to the company, and encouraged me in that if I prove myself to be a hard worker and diligent on the shop floor, then Karl will see that and reward me with favor with flying because I ‘earned to fly his planes.’
Encouraged is a nice way to start the day!
The next couple hours were droll and spent in the boredom of cleaning and polishing metal pieces, meanwhile my brain, in its unmotivation to process much of anything, wandered onto some negative, lustful thoughts that I tried to immediately bring into captivity to Christ, an reminded myself to think that which is in Philippians 4:8. And I prayed, “God, help me to use this time in thoughts that I won’t regret later when I regain my motivation.” Then God started giving me tasks to process concerning my relationship with Charisma: proposal, gifts, what our relationship is becoming… and I was given insight into why there are some parts of our past experiences together that we both regret. It’s that during those times, we didn’t have in mind to be working to improve and move forward our relationship but to just go with the moment and let what happens happen. So I quickly made a mental note that “constant improvement” needs to be added among our present four ‘covenants’ in our relationship. Then after that, I added another: to think, say and act out Philippians 4:8. So if we have one more later on, that will make a complete seven.
This led to my visualizing a wonderful project that I would love to put together soon, serving as a tangible reminder of the “meat” of our relationship both now and on and on and on…so we pray!
Then I was struck by the fact that I was feeling at a total, restful peace about our relationship and that I was also feeling simply elated that Charisma is my girlfriend, and that the voice in my head that repeats to me a detestable phrase every morning was…gone. ‘What did I do?’ I wondered.
Well, I think that this weekend really changed me and gave my mind a new perspective on a lot related to God, our relationship, myself, and the invisible battle that is waged every day for our souls.
I wrote last week about the ways of the devil and how to discern God’s will by knowing His Own ways. That was a stepping = stone onto what i was to encounter this weekend. I met a man and another couple with whom I just got into a conversation about relationhips an how to manage long-distance and be the man I need to be now and in marriage. And one of the guys told me that he had doubts come to him and second-guesses and messages in his min that made him feel insecure during his engagement to his wife, and he really got my attention there because that’s sorta what I’ve been going thru myself. He held onto truth, just like I am, but he identifies that there is a battle over marriages in this generation; satan wants to crush solid, biblically-founded marriages because they are the greatest testimonies of Christ’s beautiful love for His church in this generation, and we believe he isn’t interested in dividing marriages where they are but where they begin – in the intentionally God-honoring, intentionally commitment-ready dating relationships.
There is a battle waged against us – even Charisma and me. And we need to give attention to it and be knowledgeable of satan’s devices against us because they are strong and effective. We are truly in this battle, and we have a charge to withstand it and fight it ourselves, and going into this battle uninformed of satan’s devices is like entering a war with all the knowledge of and preparation for a enemy’s ground forces but no intelligence as to the enemy’s air forces.
God has a way of giving me his words in my spirit at the most opportunte times - you know, 2:15 in the morning. But the insight he gave me was so profound and important that I just had to spend time with Him processing and writing down what he was giving to me. I felt like he was showing me the enemy’s battle tactics in a way I never saw before. And once He did, I knew that , yeah, that’s what I’ve been facing.
Here’s what I wrote down – as satan battled, God said, ‘’here’s what I see. Once you figure that out, then you can see what you should about Me.’’
Satan’s devices are:
-Distractions!
-Exaggerations!
-Lies!
-Perversions!
-Destructions!
-Discouragements!
As I look at this list, I can’t help but identify several places in our past where we succumbed to one or many of these. Through that, we gave satan a foothold to steal from us and let us know that he was bringing the news as a point of accusation against us before God. So came guilt and remorse that still plagues me today. But because God is cool and works everything together for the good, we learned so much about each other, and I have grown to care for Charisma so much more.
One big, big lesson i'm realizing just now is that the adventure together has to keep going every day we're together. when the adventure stops, then satan can walk in and tempt. Charisma, can you think of times when we were not on an adventure together? and what became of that time? adventure means that the relationship is constantly moving forward too. I know now to rather seek to keep us on the adventure every day we're together!
I have also grown in my spiritual walk personally, and consequently all that has helped Charisma’s and my relationship abound even more. Christ is surely at the center.
I am not ignorant of the weapons against us, and I know even better that they shall not prosper. When I know that something in my mind is not of God but is an attack against something God is ordaining, I can speak rebuke against it in Jesus’ name and proclaim God’s Word to deflect the attack.
Yes, I do believe that families are under siege even before they are started. I feel it as a thorn in my flesh, but it has been a faithful thorn by God’s grace…He has taught me so much. I know that a relationship that is seeking God is one to hold onto, and so long as it does, only God should be the one to split the couple.
As for me, I feel I am seeing like God does about Charisma and our relationship as well as so much more in the world.
I can go about my day in restful peace that God is for me, for Charisma, and be elated in the fact that she is my girlfriend!
I believe in our relationship. I believe in Charisma. I believe that we are God's choice for each other.
I'm brave to say that, but really it just simplifies things because it makes our "yea, yea" for we believe that God's opinion is "yea."
Forward with faith!!
Yesterday marked the third month since the beginning of my relationship with Charisma Andrews. I miss her fanatically, am learning about her enthusiastically, and am feeling confirmed deeply of God's blessing us together.
This morning, following a good 3 ½ hours of sleep, I went to work to begin my second week at Dynamic, and I was making a little smalltalk with one of the guys I worked with when I was here as an intern 3 years ago. We reminisced about projects we worked on and he updated me on some details I wasn’t aware of, details that showed how good of a CEO that Karl Stolzfus is and how well off the company is doing. Then he surprised me when he said, “we’re blessed, and you know, that’s what happens when God runs the company.” He went on to say how he was prayed into his job there, and how a Christian company like this is setting God above itself and is being blessed through it, and that he’s glad to be working here and that most everyone who comes brings more blessing to the company. He pointed out me in particular to be one who is brining blessing to the company, and encouraged me in that if I prove myself to be a hard worker and diligent on the shop floor, then Karl will see that and reward me with favor with flying because I ‘earned to fly his planes.’
Encouraged is a nice way to start the day!
The next couple hours were droll and spent in the boredom of cleaning and polishing metal pieces, meanwhile my brain, in its unmotivation to process much of anything, wandered onto some negative, lustful thoughts that I tried to immediately bring into captivity to Christ, an reminded myself to think that which is in Philippians 4:8. And I prayed, “God, help me to use this time in thoughts that I won’t regret later when I regain my motivation.” Then God started giving me tasks to process concerning my relationship with Charisma: proposal, gifts, what our relationship is becoming… and I was given insight into why there are some parts of our past experiences together that we both regret. It’s that during those times, we didn’t have in mind to be working to improve and move forward our relationship but to just go with the moment and let what happens happen. So I quickly made a mental note that “constant improvement” needs to be added among our present four ‘covenants’ in our relationship. Then after that, I added another: to think, say and act out Philippians 4:8. So if we have one more later on, that will make a complete seven.
This led to my visualizing a wonderful project that I would love to put together soon, serving as a tangible reminder of the “meat” of our relationship both now and on and on and on…so we pray!
Then I was struck by the fact that I was feeling at a total, restful peace about our relationship and that I was also feeling simply elated that Charisma is my girlfriend, and that the voice in my head that repeats to me a detestable phrase every morning was…gone. ‘What did I do?’ I wondered.
Well, I think that this weekend really changed me and gave my mind a new perspective on a lot related to God, our relationship, myself, and the invisible battle that is waged every day for our souls.
I wrote last week about the ways of the devil and how to discern God’s will by knowing His Own ways. That was a stepping = stone onto what i was to encounter this weekend. I met a man and another couple with whom I just got into a conversation about relationhips an how to manage long-distance and be the man I need to be now and in marriage. And one of the guys told me that he had doubts come to him and second-guesses and messages in his min that made him feel insecure during his engagement to his wife, and he really got my attention there because that’s sorta what I’ve been going thru myself. He held onto truth, just like I am, but he identifies that there is a battle over marriages in this generation; satan wants to crush solid, biblically-founded marriages because they are the greatest testimonies of Christ’s beautiful love for His church in this generation, and we believe he isn’t interested in dividing marriages where they are but where they begin – in the intentionally God-honoring, intentionally commitment-ready dating relationships.
There is a battle waged against us – even Charisma and me. And we need to give attention to it and be knowledgeable of satan’s devices against us because they are strong and effective. We are truly in this battle, and we have a charge to withstand it and fight it ourselves, and going into this battle uninformed of satan’s devices is like entering a war with all the knowledge of and preparation for a enemy’s ground forces but no intelligence as to the enemy’s air forces.
God has a way of giving me his words in my spirit at the most opportunte times - you know, 2:15 in the morning. But the insight he gave me was so profound and important that I just had to spend time with Him processing and writing down what he was giving to me. I felt like he was showing me the enemy’s battle tactics in a way I never saw before. And once He did, I knew that , yeah, that’s what I’ve been facing.
Here’s what I wrote down – as satan battled, God said, ‘’here’s what I see. Once you figure that out, then you can see what you should about Me.’’
Satan’s devices are:
-Distractions!
-Exaggerations!
-Lies!
-Perversions!
-Destructions!
-Discouragements!
As I look at this list, I can’t help but identify several places in our past where we succumbed to one or many of these. Through that, we gave satan a foothold to steal from us and let us know that he was bringing the news as a point of accusation against us before God. So came guilt and remorse that still plagues me today. But because God is cool and works everything together for the good, we learned so much about each other, and I have grown to care for Charisma so much more.
One big, big lesson i'm realizing just now is that the adventure together has to keep going every day we're together. when the adventure stops, then satan can walk in and tempt. Charisma, can you think of times when we were not on an adventure together? and what became of that time? adventure means that the relationship is constantly moving forward too. I know now to rather seek to keep us on the adventure every day we're together!
I have also grown in my spiritual walk personally, and consequently all that has helped Charisma’s and my relationship abound even more. Christ is surely at the center.
I am not ignorant of the weapons against us, and I know even better that they shall not prosper. When I know that something in my mind is not of God but is an attack against something God is ordaining, I can speak rebuke against it in Jesus’ name and proclaim God’s Word to deflect the attack.
Yes, I do believe that families are under siege even before they are started. I feel it as a thorn in my flesh, but it has been a faithful thorn by God’s grace…He has taught me so much. I know that a relationship that is seeking God is one to hold onto, and so long as it does, only God should be the one to split the couple.
As for me, I feel I am seeing like God does about Charisma and our relationship as well as so much more in the world.
I can go about my day in restful peace that God is for me, for Charisma, and be elated in the fact that she is my girlfriend!
I believe in our relationship. I believe in Charisma. I believe that we are God's choice for each other.
I'm brave to say that, but really it just simplifies things because it makes our "yea, yea" for we believe that God's opinion is "yea."
Forward with faith!!
posted by Radar | 5:21 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home