Moving!

Lovely land of blogging;
I'm moving my blog to a new place if you'd care to follow or read it is:

http://titus2girlintraining.blogspot.com/

Many blessings,
Willa

Praise for answered prayer!

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into His presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, He is God!

It is He who made us, and we are his;

we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving,

and His courts with praise!

Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

For the Lord is good;

His steadfast love endures forever,

and His faithfulness to all generations."

-Psalm 100

Hello lovely land of blogging,

you know it's interesting how much God can do in just a month and a half. Since my last post there have been so many things that have happened. One big thing was I had the privilege of being part of a church plant launch team this summer, and on September 19th we had a successful launch day that ran quite smoothly, so praise the Lord!!! Over the last month God has been continually faithful to bring those who are hungering after His Word, and to provide for His church. It's been such a privilege to be part of it, and to serve the Lord along with a group of brothers, and sisters in Christ who's purpose is to glorify God in all they do. It is truly amazing, & a blessing to be a part of!

The other rather large thing that happened was I made the decision after much prayer & thought to stop going to school. The only reason I was going to school was because that was what everyone was telling me I had to do, and I was going mainly out of fear of man, which was wrong. I knew that if I wasn't going to school I could use my time in a much better way. This summer I knew that the two ways I wanted to spend my time were; 1: spending time with women in the church body who are much more mature & grown in the Lord then myself, so that I could learn from them. I wanted to spend my time in what I guess you could call "Titus 2 training," as it is my desire to be a godly wife & mother someday. Though one can never be certain if one will marry, I can always use those skills in a way that is useful to the church body if I were to be single the rest of my life. 2: I wanted to give away my time to ministry. Whatever it may be, I wanted God to use me however He wanted to. The amazing thing is that in the last month and a half that is exactly what I have been doing. I prayed and prayed this summer and God provided. I've had the privilege of spending time with some amazing godly women who serve their husbands, and families in amazing ways! And I've been available to be used in whatever way has been needed with the new church I've been honored to be a part of. If that weren't enough God was also so gracious to provide a job for me working a few days a week at preschool with toddlers, which is something I have always wanted to do. I'm just amazed at how faithful God has been to answer prayer! He is so good, and I don't deserve a single one of these amazing blessings, but He has given them anyway. What an amazing God.

So I write to express my thankfulness & praise to God for all He's done over the last month and a half, but also as an encouragement to any young girl who might be reading this. If it is not your desire to be in school, you do not have to be. God is faithful, and He has the perfect plan for all His children. Though some might say I'm making a big mistake by stopping school, because I'm not making something of myself, or going and getting a career, it doesn't matter, some girls have the desire to be in school and that's fine, but I did not. I have no regrets, and there is no better way I could be spending my time. The amazing thing is that at the end of the day, all glory is to God alone. Serving the Lord is a privilege, honor and joy, but it is a gift and all by His grace. If at the end of the day I pat myself on the back and say, "good job Willa," then I'm being prideful, and whatever I've done that day is a waste, because it's by the grace of God that I am able to serve. If it's not done to His glory then it is a waste. So I just love, that in the end I will "lay my trophies down, all down at Jesus' feet". What a gift and joy it is to be able to serve the Lord, and in the end all glory goes to Him!

Blessings dear blogger world,

Willa

"Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?"

Dearest blogger world;
let me humor you with a rather odd experience that happened to me today. I was sitting in my Calculus class concentrated on taking notes, and understanding limits when.... Suddenly! Inside my head the music from Beauty and the Beast starts raging loudly, you know, "Look there she goes that girl is strange no question, dazed and distracted can't you tell?.....Behind that fair facade I'm afraid she's rather odd, very different from the rest of us is Belle!" As this song is playing full swing in my mind, if that's not enough I'm imagining this whole scene where I'm Belle from that scene, singing and dancing around the classroom, while my classmates sing along, doing flips over the tables, and what not. Oh! Not to mention all the numbers, and formulas on the board about limits are coming to life and dancing around as well. Yeah, slightly ridiculous I know, and definitely feel free to laugh. However, this is a rather normal scenario. I've always had an active, curious, vivid, imagination. Which is a blessing, I'm thankful for it, but my concern is where does self control and taking every thought captive fit in with all of this?

I'll share one more silly example; when I was sixteen I had a "crush" on a guy who was in my french class. Naturally, being shy I couldn't just go up and say, "hey, how's it going". Instead on an occassion where my imagination totally ran wild I came up with an extremely silly, slightly crazy story about how he was a "part dragon". He could fly, talk to plants, and had to save all the farm birds in the world from the "farm bird extirminator". (Crazy! I know.) So in my mind the sane thing to do was to write him notes telling him he's a part dragon, talks to plants and has to save all the farm birds of the world. And that is exactly what I did, I wrote notes, and drew little pictures to go along, and left them on his desk before he'd come to class. That is just another example of a crazy daydreaming imagination going possibly a little too far.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says we are to "take every thought captive to obedience of Christ," which is what I started to think about when I finally pulled my head out of the clouds during my calculus class tonight. What are my thoughts usually focused on? Is always a good question to ask. It's a good thing for all of us to ask ourselves, not only those who are known to daydream and have crazy imaginations like myself, but for everyone. None of our friends or family members know our thoughts unless we tell them. So it is easy to fool ourselves into going through the motions, putting on a face to make everyone think what we want them to think, while in our mind something totally different is going on. When we do that though, it is hypocricy which is not at all pleasing to the Lord. God knows all things, He knows all our thoughts, all our motives, He knows the depths of our hearts when even we don't.

With that said, I think the answer on what constantly fix my mind on is scripture and Christ. When my imagination is running wild, and my head is in the clouds getting carried away to dreamland more than it should, the best thing for me to think on is scripture. And to ask for God's grace in fixing my mind on His Word and His son.
Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you...."
Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path"
Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, what is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

That is what I should think on. Especially when I am tempted to do otherwise, or when my mind is wandering down a crazy path where I can get carried away. Which often happens, and I praise God for the blessing of having an imagination because it makes everything much more fun for me. I do, however have to examine and be watchful of how far my daydreaming goes and be sure I'm purposing to fill my mind with the Word. Which I praise God for, He is so gracious to give us His Word. His innerant, infallable, living and active Word!

I just love Hebrews 4:12 "For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Praise God that He's given us His living and active Word! What a display of His grace and love that He has given it to us, and praise Him that "....His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through truth and knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."
What a gracious God! Praise Him!

Blessings dear blogger friends from a girl with a goofy imagination, wanting to continue to grow in Christlikeness, in love and knowledge of the Lord.
For the glory of Christ,
Willa

Young, confused, single: a call to have a fearless trust in the Lord.

"Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:3-4)

If you had asked me when I was in my early teens what my life would look like at 18 I would have been able to tell you a pretty much complete plan. I would have told you that after high school I would go to school in the L.A. area for either interior design or event planning. After I finished school I would have my own apartment in some very trendy, yuppie city in Southern California. I would be successful at my job and make lots of money. I'd have the trendiest clothes and so would all my other successful friends. I would have no need for a boyfriend, because a boyfriend would get in the way of my success, my fun of being young, my popularity, and my fun, fashionable, up on the newest trend lifestyle. Of course there was the possibility I might marry someday, but that absolutely could not be until I was much older. I needed to be young and explore the world on my own.

Those were my desires and that was my plan. Thankfully (praise God!) that He saved me when He did, and has changed those desires completely. I cannot even rightly express my thankfulness to Him.

Here I am, now, at 18 and thankfully my life is nothing like how I wished it would be in my early teens. However, I have to admit the age I am now, and the season of life I'm in at the moment is certainly the most confusing and trying season I have been in yet. It's like, you graduate from high school and all the sudden you are bombarded with countless choices to make, and every day it seems like a new choice, option or possibility is thrown into view. Friends are going off to college to become engineers, dancers, doctors, teachers, etc etc. Then the friends that aren't going off to college seem to be into some new thing every other week; whether it be a new group of friends, a new job, or a new boyfriend. Then I start to think; why don't I know what I'm doing for school? Where is my life going? I live at home, and my desire for my life is to be a wife and mother, what if that never happens? I'm single, what if I'm that way forever? Everything seems to be moving at the speed of light, my head starts to spin in a hundred different directions, and in the moment of sheer panic the only thing I can think is: What in the wide world is going on here? Followed by, "Lord, have mercy please help!!!"

That has been a fairly normal experience in my life lately, and I know I'm not alone in that sort of experience. The problem though lies in how to deal with it, because worrying about the future, and having those fleeting thoughts of sheer panic are not pleasing to God. It's a struggle though, especially with at my age, and in this season of life. I would do well though, and so would anyone who shares in a similiar experience to remember what God's Word says, about all the struggles I mentioned in my example above, to repent of the sin, and then to run what God's Word says about every struggle I'm currently having.

Philippians 4:6 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God." So, in those moments when I am tempted to sheer panic I can pray. I can also address my soul. Martyn Lloyd Jones said it best, "have you realized that most of your unhappiness in your life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself, instead of talking to yourself?" I can address my soul, and what can I address my soul with? Scripture of course (Praise God He has given us His Word). I can remind myself of the truth's of Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose," and Philippians 1:6, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." And Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

Another thing I can do is delight myself in the Lord. I can be content with whatever circumstance I'm in, and I'm not talking about the fake contentment. My dear friend Abby, and I have had many discussions about how well, flat out stupid we can be in having false contentment. We think if we say we're content enough, and put that fake smile on our face that God will see that we're "content" and bless us. Not only is that stupid; but it's completely prideful. GOD IS OMNISCIENT! He knows all things! He knows more about us, than even we do. He knows the depths of our hearts, and is aware of all the sins that we are blind to. So I'm not talking about the fake smile, my life is perfect, type of contentment. I'm talking about, humbly repenting of being discontent & not joyful. Then seeking God's help in delighting in Him! I certainly need His help. I'm dependent on Him, and if I don't recognize that then if I try to pursue being "content" on my own it will be the false contentment. I do have to do something though, we can't expect to be content in the Lord without some effort. I need to humble myself before His Word, pray that I would my view and love of God would be heightened, and that the song, joy, focus of my heart would be Him.

With all this said, I, as well as anyone who relates to this needs to have a fearless trust in the Lord. He is a faithful God. His Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), and His promises are sure. God does not promise that life will always be easy and simple, but His Word does say that our trials produce endurance and grow our faith (James 1:2). God also does not promise that every girl out there will someday marry, however we can pray for a godly man/future husband, while also keeping in mind that if we are to be single forever that it would be okay, God would be our delight and joy! We can be sure that God is faithful! His plan is perfect, He is working everything together for firstly, His glory, but secondly, our good! And He will continue to sanctify us until we die, or Christ returns! What a faithful God!

A very sweet young mom from my church recently told me, "this time in your life when your young, single, and not going to school fulltime is an amazing time. You could use it in so many amazing ways! You can use it to bless your family, and your church. This is really an incredible time for God to use you to serve Him without distraction, and to bless those around you." That was such an encouragement to me! Though I may not know what next year will look like, let alone next week, this really is an amazing time for me to serve the Lord without distraction! God is faithful, His ordinances and timing are perfect, and I pray that God will give me wisdom in this season of life of how to use my time in a way that is pleasing to Him, and that will bless others! Blogger world if you have any suggestions in how to do this, please do let me know! Blessings!

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

"...Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth..." (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

For the glory of Christ our great Savior,
Willa

Regeneration

Prayer from "The Valley Of Vision" Puritan Prayers.

"O God of the Highest Heaven,
Occupy the throne of my heart,
take full possession and reign supreme,
lay low every rebel lust,
let no vile passion resist thy holy war;
manifest thy mighty power,
and make me thine for ever.
Thou art worthy to be praised with my every breath,
loved with my every faculty of soul,
served with my every act of life.
Thou hast loved me, espoused me, receieved me,
purchased, washed, favoured, clothed, adorned me,
when I was worthless, vile, soiled, polluted.
I was dead in iniquities,
having no eyes to see thee,
no ears to hear thee,
no taste to relish thy joys,
no intelligence to know thee;
But thy Spirit quickened me,
has brought me into a new world as a new creature,
has given me spiritual perception,
has opened to me thy Word as light, guide, solace, joy.
Thy presence is to me a treasure of unending peace;
No provocation can part me from thy sympathy,
for thou hast drawn me with cords of love,
and dost forgive me daily, hourly.
O help me then to walk worthy of thy love,
of my hopes, and my vocation.
Keep me, for I cannot keep myself;
Protect me that no evil befall me;
Let me lay aside every sin admired of many;
Help me to walk by thy side,
lean on thy arm,
hold converse with thee,
that henceforth I may be salt of the earth and a blessing to all"

Mary or Martha?

Dear blogger world, friends, and fellow brothers and sister's in Christ;

Over this summer I've been blessed with the fellowship of two dear sister's in Christ going through John MacArthur's book, "12 Extraordinary Women". Each chapter goes over a different woman from the bible, some of the women have included Eve (Genesis 2,3), Hannah (1 Samuel 1,2), and the Samaritan woman (John 4). It's been edifying to learn about each woman's life, but even more so the incredible God they all loved.

This week the chapter we went through was on Martha and Mary, and the passage that was most focused on was Luke 10:38-42 :

"Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.' But the Lord answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is neccesary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.'"

You must understand blogger friends, that prior to reading this passage and chapter on these two women this week, that I'd heard this passage taught on and talked about much in my short almost two years of being saved. However, this time around was different (Oh the depth of the Word of God!) One thing that MacArhur pointed out from the start was that both of the women loved the Lord. It wasn't that Martha wasn't saved, and when Jesus corrected her He did so gently. Martha was distracted (as I think we all, especially women! can relate to) she wanted to be a good hostess, but she let the distraction of being a good hostess get in the way of worshipping the Lord, which was what her sister Mary chose to do.

While reading the chapter and discussing it today with my two friends, I was convicted but I didn't realize how much until I was driving home. I just kept thinking how easy it is to be Martha! Always distracted, always serving, never stopping to cotemplate my incomprehensible Savior and to worship Him. One thing my dear sister's and I talked about was how worship must come before service, because serving the Lord should be done because we realize who HE is (the immutable, unfathomable, sovereign, faithful omnipotent, omniscient, gracious, merciful, loving HOLY God and Savior who died on the cross for our sin.) If we are serving with no purpose, no love, no adoration for the Lord then it is filthy rags! It has to be done out of an understanding of who He is, what He's done, out of worship and love for Him to His glory.

This is sobering, because firstly; it is so easy to not be disciplined in having worship be the essential part of the Christian life. Being in prayer (and not just "dear God help me with this day") I mean praise to God for who He is, as well as requests and supplications, and studying the Word is an everyday essential. This is not always easy. God has been gracious enough to bless me with someone who is sweet enough to call me each morning (currently at 6:45 a.m.) to wake me up so by the grace of God I can have enough time before the day starts to really be disciplined in doing these things.

Secondly, it is sobering because when the day starts and there is a list of things to do it's more the norm for it to be gone through with little purpose. However, if while going through my to-do list I meditated on the Word, Christ, the attributes of God, and remembered that each day every single thing is ordianed by the Lord and that each thing should be done with joy for His glory it would be a much more purposeful use of my time! It is so easy to forget as the busyness of life hits us the God we serve, all His unchanging ways, and what He has done! I pray though, by the grace of God that will drastically change in my life, and that I will remember! Remember my infinite, unchanging, incomprehensible, gracious, holy God and Savior! That all things (even the "little" things, like picking up my brothers dirty socks that like to hide all over the house) will be done with joy because of who God is! And for His glory! What a loving God we serve He is gracious enough to give us His spirit to grant the gift of illumination to see our sin, areas we need to change/grow in, then He is gracious enough to forgive us and to help us to grow!

I love 1 John 1:9

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

What an encouragement that verse is!

I'll close with this dear blogger friends:

"Oh, the depth of the riches of both the wisdom and knowlege of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or become His counselor? Or who has first given Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."

-Romans 11:33-36

Beloved family.

My heart has been filled lately with thanks and praise to God for the family He ordained for me to be in. It's not always easy to be the only believer in the midst of a large extended family of unbelievers, but it is a blessing, privilege and a perfect ordinance of God. In the last year alone God has been at work in so many ways in my own sanctification, but one that is so vividly obvious is both my attitude and relationship toward my family. I continually praise God for this!

I think often of why God would choose to save me, and those thoughts often lead to "Why would He choose me? And why would He choose me out of this family? Why me? Why the privilege of sharing with them the good news of Christ?" It seriously blows my mind! Then I again think of how blessed I was to have such a loving upbringing. My family (and extended family... which really is extended! It's very large) have always been loving and supportive of both myself and my brother.

One thing I am specifically SO thankful for is my mom, my Grandma Philips, and my aunts on my mom's side. My Grandma always taught me to be silly; she always wore quirky sunglasses and I intend to continue on with that tradition in her honor. My mom has taught me how to clean, cook, bake, sew, knit, make butter (for goodness sake!). She homeschooled me; taught me algebra even when we both wanted to give up, was patient when I despised the subject of history, and so willingly let me go when I wanted to move on to taking community college classes. She loved me and was patient with me through my early teen years when I was so horribly stubborn and snotty. She's held nothing against me and has put up with much turmoil that I have thrown her way. I'm so blessed by my mom. Though her teaching was not with biblical truth, her bringing me up in a home where "homemaking" was always encouraged has been a great blessing. It has helped make the call for women to be in the home sweet music to my ears. I thank God for her and pray fervently for her salvation every single day, often unceasingly.

I cannot express the amazement and thankfulness I have for my salvation. That God would choose me, choose me out of the family I am in! Pull me out of my hideous sin and deadness and give me life in His son, who bore my sins upon the cross though I was an enemy of Him and deserving of the punishment He bore. I just praise God so much for saving me! I thank Him for giving me the family He has given me, for the privilege of sharing with them the gospel, and for the way God has used them in my sanctification. I don't know what the future holds or if it is in God's plan for them to be saved, but I pray for them with anguish and zeal. I don't want to see the family whom I love so much and have been blessed so much by go to hell. So dear blogger world if you happen to be reading this please pray for them as well. God's wisdom and sovereignty is perfect, but that doesn't give reason to give up on the unsaved we must fight the good fight, and pray steadfastly for the unsaved.

A lyric from "O Church Arise" by the Getty's kinda sums it up...

"Our call to war to love the captive soul,
But to rage against the captor,
And with the sword that makes the wounded whole,
We will fight with faith and valour"

For Christ's glory,
Willa