50 Ways to Pray for 50 Shades of Grey

I am pretty sure the movie of 50 Shades of Grey comes out next week, and my heart has been burdened to pray. Burdened, because our culture today glorifies sexuality outside of marriage, and minimizes the heartache/all other side effects of those actions. Burdened, because so many people, especially women, will be led to have a warped view of what love and sex are. This breaks my heart.

My wonderful Bible study leader and I have partnered up to pray, and have come up with “50 Ways to Pray for 50 Shades of Grey.” Please join us in not only praying for those reading the book/watching the movie, but for our own hearts as well, that we will be convicted on the desires that need to be laid down before the feet of Jesus!

Click the link below to view or print the prayer list!

——> 50 Ways to Pray for 50 Shades of Grey <——

Forever and Always,

Emily

Let Strivings Cease

According to personality tests, I am a dreamy idealist whose head is typically in the clouds. I see opportunity and inspiration everywhere and am driven by abundant creativity and feeling. Yet, your greatest strength is often your greatest weakness, and my heart has seen so much conviction on this, that I can fully attest to the truth of that statement.
With a mind that wanders so much into the ideal, I am so fixated on the future, that I forget to be content in the present. When I allow myself to become far-sighted, my vision of God’s purpose for my life becomes blurred. I have encountered the glory of God, and have experienced His relentless love, yet I find my hands are clenched so tightly around what I want my life to look like. In Mark 9:24, a boy, possessed by a demon, was brought by his father to Jesus, so that he may be healed. The father entreats Jesus saying, “`If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said to him, ‘If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’”
Those words uttered by the father resonate in my soul. I know God is good. I truly desire to live a life of following after my Savior who gives me grace, mercy and hope abundantly. But, my heart and mind often get the best of me, convincing me that my desires and aspirations will produce a fulfilling and ideal life. When I rely on my own dreams for my life, my decisions are based on feelings and emotions. Rather than prayerfully considering everything and waiting on the Lord’s direction, it is easy to jump onto a path that is still a good thing and doesn’t necessarily contradict God’s Word, and expect God’s blessing and guidance in the path I’ve derived for myself. God, being God, still works in my deviations, with more lessons being produced than blessings. Yet, because I have striven for a life of meaning and forget to see the meaning in the life I have now, my strivings have only produced frustration and weariness.
Then it hit me, quite hard. Psalm 31:5 says, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” This passage seemed familiar to me. In Luke 23:46, as the Savior of the world hung on the cross, as the veil was torn in two, Jesus called out, “Father, into Your hands I commit my Spirit!”After all Jesus has redeemed me from, after all of His faithfulness to me, how can I not open my clenched hands and commit all of my spirit into His hands?” My life is made extraordinary and ideal because the veil is torn, I have access to the Father, freedom from the weight of sin, and hope for something beyond the mortal. Why is that not a good enough reason for me to let go? Because, God’s ways are almost never the easiest, and the flesh craves the comfortable. We are in a constant battle between our flesh and the things of God, struggling to give up our finite control to His infinite and eternal picture. Thankfully, there is hope. Thankfully, God is more interested in progress than perfection, no matter how slow that progress is.
Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Little by little, as I desire to walk in His will and not in my own will, I will have the strength to unclench my hands. I will have the strength to trust that His vision for my life is far greater and sweeter than anything I could’ve dreamt up for myself. I can still be my dreamer self, but I can fix my eyes on the eternal, using it as a catalyst for obedience in the present. Rather than exhaust myself in pursuing, I can be still and know that He is God. I can let my strivings cease.

Forever and Always,

Emily

His vs. Mrs

I caught the epidemic, bought into the idea that often circulates within the Christian community that the goal in life is to meet a godly spouse, get married, raise godly children and live for Jesus. The problem was, as evidenced in the order of the previous sentence, that living for Jesus was often placed in the background. I was still trying to live for Jesus, but in my longing for a godly man, my focus wasn’t in fully pursuing the One who makes him godly in the first place. Though God created marriage, and Genesis 2:18 says “It is not good that the man should be alone,” any good thing placed above God becomes an idol. Church suddenly isn’t a place to encounter God’s presence and grace, but rather a glorified ChristianMingle event.

The truth is, being in a relationship doesn’t fix your problems or fill your void. Only the one who created your heart and knows all the workings of it can completely satisfy you. That doesn’t mean, though, that everything is smooth sailing once you decide to trust and rely on Jesus. It can still be hard to be surrounded by people in relationships. We were made for companionship, and when we don’t have it, inadequacy and desperation can creep in, causing us to wonder if anyone will ever love us. But, your worth does not come from the ring on your hand, it comes from the scars on His. God’s redemptive love for us is not altered by our relationship status. He chose to humble Himself and die an incredibly painful death on a cross so that we could come before His throne and know the Creator of the world, the Creator of our hearts. He walked among our brokenness and knows how to put the pieces back together to make us whole again. He knows our sinfulness, yet He chooses to see the best in our hearts, forgive us again and again, and help refine and mold us to His glory. He knows what we need, and what we think we need might not be the best for us at the moment. A season of singleness may be because God is refining and redeeming you in a way that could only have come from being single.

There is a lot of love in my heart to give, and I am looking forward to the day I can share it with someone. Yet, I know that I still have a lot to learn about what is it to love and be loved, and my Savior who gives me mercy and grace despite of everything I am is the perfect teacher. Even still, when the God guided moment comes to be in a relationship, we’re not going to be or feel completely ready. We are always going to be works in progress. But, we will always be ready for a deeper relationship with the God who delights in our hearts and souls.

Yes, I will update my Pinterest wedding board weekly and yes, I will notice the handsome, single man sitting a few rows behind me in church. But, I can log off Pinterest and walk out of church knowing that my God, who has redeemed and is refining my heart, loves me beyond my imagining. He does not and will not withhold what is good from me. He just cares about my heart and soul enough to bring what is good in His perfect timing.

Forever and Always,
Emily

Some Scripture to meditate on:

“ The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” -Psalm 16:5-11