Pure Gold

“So be content with who you are and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you, he will promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God, for he is most careful with you.” ~ 1 Peter 5:6-7

When you live your life for God and you want to serve him and bring him all the glory. You need to live carefree and not care about what others think about you because all that matters is what you are doing for the glory of God. You do not need to act a certain way to impress or make God see you. He already sees you! HE LOVES YOU! He wants you to live for him and be a disciple for him. He is walking beside you and has his hand on you and will GUIDE you always all you have to do is follow him and let him lead you and be in the “driver’s seat” of your car.

I chose this verse because it is so true. When you live your life for him and let him guide you he promote you at the right time. He has plans for everyone. We might not always understand or like his plans he has a plan for each and every one of you. He has a plan for me. I am living my life to the fullest because I am living for him and letting him guide me. Sometimes I might like what happens in my life and I might feel like it’s the end of the world but it’s not. He is teaching me through each experience I have whether it is good, bad, or sometimes ugly I learn through all of it. He puts me through a lot of things to make me stronger and to help me build my confidence and bring me out of my shell.

We all need to leave carefree because God is careful with us. When we live a carefree life we are more careful than if we do not live a carefree life. When we are carefree we are more likely to hear God’s voice than if we are focus on ourselves and making us happy. IF we focus on others and live a life for God he will bless us in more ways than we can count.  He will give us our hearts desires.

“Take Delight in the Lord and he will give you your hearts desires.” ~ Psalm 37:4

When we focus on living a life for God and are content with who we are in him he will bless us and listen to our hearts desires and give them to us. When we live like this we are pure Gold. We are radiating God’s light to others and sharing the Gospel with them.

‘

❤ Elena

YOU ARE PURE GOLD

The Narrow Road

“Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.” (Psalm 25:4-5)

Do you know what road you are on?

There are many paths you can walk on but the Bible talks about two paths. The path of hope, grace, and blessings and the path of loss and destruction. Which road are you currently on? 

There are a series of choices you take when you are on your path. If you take a wrong turn, think a poor thought, or on negative act. Those are all steps you choose to take.  One misstep can not cause much damage but a series of them can cause you a multitude of trouble. Another way to look at it is that one good act, one good choice or thought is a step on the right path. If you continue on the right road God will take you to High Places.

Every day I make choices. Sometimes I make good choices and bad choices. Many go in circles, they make a good choice and then they make a bad choice which makes them go in circles. The choices you make will either take you down the right path or the wrong path. It’s your choice which road you want to go down.

 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” -Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus talks about the “narrow road” and the “Wide road.” The wide road is normally easier to follow but leads to hard times or places you don’t want to be.  For us it is easier to go along with the crowd especially if you are in school. If you ‘friends’ are doing something you will go along with it because you want to ‘impress’ them and not be made fun of or lose your friends. If your friends break the rules. you will follow them.

The narrow road leads to a life of happiness and blessings. It is harder because you make good choices. When your on the narrow road and you are school and have friends then they will normally help you make good choices because they are good friends. They won’t try and make you break the rules. Although it is easier to hold grudges than to forgive. It is easier to be mean than to be nice.

The good news is that the narrow road is the better road to be on. If you are on the narrow road you don’t have to walk it alone. Jesus will walk the road with you and help you make good choices. If you follow him and listen to him, he will lead you on the road to greatness and high places.

In Psalm 25:4-5 it says “Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.”

When I put my trust and hope in the Lord he will lead me. When I come across a problem he will help me with it. He will show you the right steps to take so you can have a life full of happiness and blessings. If you have a hard choice he will guide you through it. He will be there through all of the choices you have to make. If you put your hope in him he will be there every step of the way. When you put your trust in him he will carry you when you fall. All you have to do is ask him and follow him.

I would not be the person I am today if I followed the world. I would be heading down the wrong road. When I made the choice to follow Jesus he began to bless me. He helps me through every choice I have to make. He has and still is helping me take the steps toward the high places he has planned for me with him. He helps me make the harder choice. He gives me the strength and endurance to make it through hard choices I make. Will you put your hope in him and let him guide you?

 

“We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.” – Psalm 33:20

 

❤

Elena

Anticipation \\ book review

Good Morning I write with great passion as I take part in a Book Review Blog Tour and write my first book review for my great friend Staci Thomas!

Staci has a B.A in Journalism from Penn State University, and has always enjoyed creative writing. It wasn’t until after heartbreak that she accepted God’s calling and began writing according to His Word. This is the first book that she has written but it is apart of a trilogy.

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Click here to buy your copy on Amazon

Title:  Anticipation

Author: S.D Thomas

My Rating:  5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: 

Cassie Smith wasn’t expecting to fall in love with her best friend, Mark Santos, or the emotional turmoil she encounters in the relationship. But, this newfound love has her questioning the only commitments she’s ever made: to God and to leaving her hometown. Will she change her mind and stay with Mark? Or will she risk everything she’s ever known and loved to continue with her original plan? FREE Bible Study Guide that corresponds with book is available via website http://www.sdthomas.net

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 I fell in love with this story from the very first page. It embodies the struggle that young christian couples face today. The story has every element a good story should have. It kept my attention from page one. I love how the story came together and I could see it in my mind as I read it. In Anticipation, Staci presents Biblical references, romance, well developed characters and plot line.

One of the elements I fell in love with was the character development. I quickly fell in love with the main characters (Cassie, Mark, Shelly, Eric, Jake, Cassie’s Parents, and Mark’s Parents). I thought that the characters were well development. The characters also learned lessons along the way. From the very first page I connected with Cassie and I felt what she was going through.  The roller coaster ride of emotion in your senior year is something I am very familiar with. As I just went through them myself. I didn’t know what I wanted to do until close to the end of the school year when I got my acceptance letter from the college I wanted to go to. Will Cassie figure out what she wants?

 

Cassie has these plans to leave and go to the University of Georgia (UGA) after she graduates high school. In her mind she really wants to get out of her town but then she begins to think that that isn’t what she wants at all. She is just trying to figure out what she wants and make a decision on whether she should go after it with no regrets.

Mark says to Cassie in the book that their senior year can be great but Cassie thinks that the options of ‘great are limited within the confines of her town. Does she know what Great is? Will she find out what it is before she graduates? 

To decide what you want and then go after it without regrets… That is something vigorous that we all have to do sometimes and it can be challenging to let go of your plans and follow God’s plans. In the book when Cassie says this she is comparing her life to her best friend Shelly’s life and how Shelly went after the things she waned in her life. She just wants her senior year to end so she can get out of her town. Something happens that throws those plans upside down. Does she know what she wants? Will she let God guide her to where she is supposed to be?

 

One Friday evening Cassie and Mark decided that they didn’t want to go to the football game instead they wanted to hang out. Cassie tells Mark that she is jealous that he might be going back to the Philippines in August on a Mission Trip. When she says that he gets mad and tells her that he can’t talk to her about this and that he didn’t want to just be her friend.” What will happen since he doesn’t want to just be her friend?

Check out the book to find out how the story ends.

The most important thing that I loved about this book was how Staci incorporated Jesus into every page. It is rare to read a book today that has a biblical background. I was so glad when I found out this book had a Biblical background. Each chapter starts with a Bible Verse. It is so awesome to see how each Bible Verse comes to play in each chapter.

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It is a beautiful story that show the struggles many young couples face today as they move into adulthood and how their faith impacts all their decisions. It shows how not to loose who you are as you fall in love with your best friend and in the process how to navigate and transition into adulthood. I absolutely love this book and I think you will too.  I highly recommend that you read this book if you are looking for a good Christian young adult book to read.  I hope that if you read this book that you will be touched by God’s unfailing love and grace.

 

❤

Elena Grace

 

I hope you will check out Staci Thomas on these social media sites.

Staci’s Social Media

Instagram

Facebook

WEBSITE

Goodreads

 

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Something New

Hey guys! It’s been a while since I have posted and I am so sorry that I didn’t keep up with my blog while I was at Spring Heights this summer. I was just so busy with my campers and other camp things. I’m going to be posting about that and my experience there soon. I am also going to be starting something new with my blog. I will be starting to write book reviews for books I am reading or I have already read. I am also joining the community of Bloglovin’ so please go follow my blog at this website.

<a href=”https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19031535/?claim=chshqrcu5yy”>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

 

❤ Elena

Trust in the Lord

 

“Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Have you ever stopped and looked around you and given thanks to God for what he has blessed you with? I know for a fact that I sometimes fail at this, I get caught up in my own life, my school work, and things like applying for colleges and scholarships that I forget to take the time to give thanks to God for all that he has blessed me with.  God has blessed me with so much in my life; I have great parents, a great brother, an awesome and supportive youth group, and an fantastic and supportive pastor. Those are just a few things that I have been blessed  with in my  life.

One of my goals for this year is to give thanks to God through everything that I am going through and I can tell you that it is really hard but it is worth it because God has a great plan for me and all of the bumps,curves, and turns are part of his plan if I keep my eyes on him, keep him in the driver’s seat, and rely on his unconditional love he will show me his amazing and awesome plan for my life that I could have not imagined in my mind. This is the year for change and while I was at Flame on I made the commitment to God to be joyful in everything even the horrible and the sad things in my life. Having joy in everything I do has change my life so far for the better. My friends think I’m crazier now but it’s okay because the joy I have is from God

As we were on the road on the way to Flame On in Arkansas I thought a lot about this and being thankful. It seems like my life is flashing before my eyes and it keeps getting faster and faster. As a soon to be graduating senior in high school it is easy to “see” my life flashing before my eyes. I have been applying to colleges and scholarships and taking and retaking the ACT and SAT and it’s a lot. I have to remind myself to BREATHE and pray and give it to God sometimes when I am looking into colleges or working on my Portfolio, college stuff, and scholarships. As I am looking for a college to go to I don’t want it to be just my decision and where I want to go;  I want God to help me pick the right college.

I want God to lead me to the college that is perfect for me and that will fit me. I am constantly praying and asking him to give me the strength and patience to follow him and his plan for my life. It is very is to get distracted from following what and what God wants me to do when I graduate especially when my parents are breathing down my neck to just pick a college and a career. I sometimes wish that I could ‘just pick a college and a career’ but I can’t I find myself constantly praying and asking God for the right words to say to my parents when we talk about college. I constantly ask him for guidance in my life in what I’m supposed to do after I graduate because if I’m being completely honest I have no I idea what I’m going to do or where I’m going to go to college. The thought kinda frightens me.

As I kept praying about this and asking God to lead me to where he wanted me to go. I figured out that I could either start college right out of high school or apply for a six month school with a mission organization called Youth with a Mission. I don’t want to go off on a wrong path and not follow God. I could choose the safe option and start college right after I graduate or I could take a leap and follow God and let him take me to high places and apply for a six month mission school.  I don’t know which one I am going to choose but I am still praying about it.

I finally shared what I was thinking and still thinking with a friend and you want to know what she said?

God can use me wherever I am, whether it’s the “right” place or not.  When it comes to a decision like this, there is no right or wrong path with God. Where ever you land is where God will use you.

In the mist of all the craziness of being a senior I figured out something great. As I keep thinking about this it seems so self-explanatory. Of course God will use me wherever I am. Why didn’t I see that before? If we follow God and listen to him he will provide us with the answers to our crazy lives. If we trust in him and follow he will take us to high places.

Are you at a fork in the road wondering which path is the “right path” to choose? Take a leap and choose one there is no right or wrong path. God will use you where ever you land.

Follow him and let him take you to high places. No matter where you go God will use you. 

 ^“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” -Philippians 2:13

 

Trust in his ability to take you to high places and go for it! 

❤

Elena

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” -Proverbs 3:5-6

Spirit Led Generation

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! How was everyone’s new year? How did you ring it in? I know I rang in the new year in the best possible way!  I went to a youth conference/rally in Arkansas and it was amazing! It was such an eye opening experience from the Silent slam to the Big Slam to the games we played it was an overall amazing trip.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.” ~Isaiah 61:1-2

This verse really hit me hard when I was at Flame On in a good way. I have always felt like that God wants me start a ministry but I haven’t ever started one because my parents have been afraid of me to do it or I just haven’t done it. Instead of waiting to start it I need to start it now. I need to build my faith and do it instead of waiting. God will use me to touch me in ways that only he and the people being touched will understand.

We need to stand together and become a Spirit Led Generation. I believe that the Holy Spirit will guide me to do what he wants me to do. God will lead me to reach the unreachable and take me places that are out of my comfort zone but in all of it I will be growing closer to him. There’s a fire in me that I don’t want to burn out.  I want to go to all the high places with Jesus.

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” ~Philippians 2:13

I know that God will give me the power to do what he wants me to do and he will be with me every step of the way. We need to give our lives to God and live in wild abandonment for him and he will send us something that we never expected, and never would have found without him, and he knows we need it.  This year is going to be a great year.

Happy New Year!

❤ Elena

I am a Princess of a King

Do you want to feel loved and adored by someone? Do you want to be valued by someone? Do you compare yourself to girls or guys at your school?  Do you feel like you have to be Miss. Popular or Mr. Popular? Do you feel like you must have a perfect GPA in high school? These are all questions that run through my head on a daily basics. As I have been studying God’s word;  I have realized that it doesn’t matter what I look like on the outside or inside because God made me perfect.

We were all created by a wonderful loving God who created us for a reason. He created me to do something spectacular in my life.  I may not know it yet but he does. He has a wonderful plan for me. If  I want to ‘feel’ the love of someone then I need to turn myself to the one person who loves you the most which is Jesus Christ. He loves me more than anyone in this world. No one can love me as much as he does. He made a wonderful world for me to explore. All  I  have to do is believe in his unfailing love for us.

I know some girls may think that they should have to look perfect and have the perfect boyfriend to be happy but that is not the case. I can be happy with just God’s love.I don’t have to have the perfect friends and be apart of the ‘in crowd ‘ or have the perfect clothes.  I do not have to have the perfect jewelry. I Just have to BE ME and not let someone try to change me!!!!!!  I WILL BE SEEN IF I DON’T TRY TO BE SOMEONE I’m NOT!! I have struggled with this many times in the past but as I am growing God’s unfailing love for me I have realized that I don’t have to try to be someone I’m not to be loved. I am loved by the One person that matter and that person is Jesus. He loves me just the way I am because he made me. 

You need to let your inner beauty shine and you will be seen by everyone. You need to let your light shine for God. Believe me its a wonderful life to live if you aren’t trying to impress boys or try to get in the in crowd. I know from experience; when I was in 8th grade and part of 9th grade that is something I did. I thought that that if you weren’t part of the ‘in crowd’ then you are a good person. I also thought that if you didn’t have a boyfriend then you weren’t special. None of that is True, and I learned that. All I need to do is let my  UNFADING BEAUTY SHINE THROUGH YOU THAT GOD GAVE YOU.YOU ALL HAVE GIFTS USE THEM TO PLEASE OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. YOU WILL BE TRULY HAPPY IF YOU DO THAT. 

GOD LOVES ME AND YOU JUST THE WAY WE ARE! ALL WE  HAVE TO DO IS SHINE FOR HIM. If people don’t like you than that’s not your problem that’s their problem because they are missing out on being friends with someone very special!! Don’t listen to the people who try to change you and bring you down. Listen to your heavenly father which is God!

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ~ Peter 3:3-4

YOU ARE LOVED! YOU ARE PRECIOUS IN GOD’S SIGHT. YOU ARE A PRINCESS OF A KING!! DON’T TRY AND CHANGE THE WAY YOU ARE!!! YOU ARE PERFECT JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!!!!!!!!

❤ ELENA

I AM A PRINCESS TO A LOVING KING!

Living a Life For God

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” ~Matthew 6:33

What do you this means mean to you? If you have a prayer journal or a journal ,I suggest writing this verse and the other one that I will say here in a few minutes. Take a second and write down the verse and what you think it means. In the book “To High Places” by Melanie Wilber, Seth Amber’s boyfriend challenges her to find the meaning of this verse, but it was really difficult for her. So I decided when I read it I would do the same.

“Seek first my kingdom and his righteousness,” means that when you seek God and his kingdom you will be given hope, joy, and, peace because you trust in God and you let him be in control of your life. Trusting in him is the best thing you can do you for your life because he knows what’s best for you and if you live in that trust nothing else will matter because God will give you everything you need.

When you see “and all these things will be given to you as well.” This is when you believe in God and you read his word and you believe that he will supply your daily needs like food and shelter. I also think in this verse he means emotional and spiritual needs like love, joy and peace and security and continual presence in our lives. We have our parents, and teachers in our lives to help us live a holy RECKLESS life. The key to living that life is to give God everything all your problems and all your joys. Put him at the center of your heart and everything else will fall into place.

❤ Elena

I challenge you to live a Holy Reckless life!