Sentence Tuesday

The Christian walk isn't about becoming a better person,

it's about a relationship with the God who in prayer makes us better.

-Josiah James 

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Sentence Tuesday

Your relationship with God 

is based on the revelation of scripture in your life. 

-Laura Cuevas 

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I'm Single... today

Hi, I'm Raquel and I'm Single. I am no Relationship expert, and the direction of this blog has never been about one or the other. But the Lord has called me to address the season of singleness with those who are single... and think they are ready to mingle! LOL

Let's be real, If you're single, chances are you want to change that status. And so do those around you, those who want to fix this "problem" for you. I am guilty of both. From the beginning of time, looking at the first human ever created, the Bible tells us that it was not good for Adam to be alone. Reading Genesis 2 brings a question to mind, why was it not good to be single?  I'm no theologian or Bible expert, but I can tell you from my experience why being alone is not good, and it comes from Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up." And to this problemo, God has made a solution: God sets the solitary in families- Psalm 68:6. 

In my loneliest moments of being single, I have seen the hand of God shift my sorrow into gladness as He placed me in family-type settings. For example: Bible study groups/small groups, friends, coworker, new family members, ministry opportunities and I'm sure I'm leaving out other family-type groups that have been a three-fold cord in my walk with Jesus. God has shown me that in my season of singleness, I am not alone. Yes, the cliche thing to say would be, "You are not alone; God is with you." But truth is, He is with you AND He also places the solitary in families. We pray for companionship and He does answer our prayers; not necessarily in the form that we want it, but He satisfies our lonely hearts. If you don't have a family-type group, pray for one. Pray for a three-fold cord friendship in your life. It may come in the least expected form, but when it's from the Lord, woah! is it good. (It may just be that ministry opportunity that you are running from).

I don't know your situation, I don't know your season in life or even how long the season will last, but you are in it today, so what are you to do with it? Matthew 6:34 answers this question for us, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." What this means to me is, if I am single today, it's because the Lord wills for me to be single, so today I will be the best single I can be for His glory. My encouragement and challenge to you my single friend: be the best single today. I don't know what the Lord has for us tomorrow. We'll worry about that when it comes. 

Signing out, 

The Single Lily

Follow @whereismyboaz on Twitter 

HEAL Journey- lesson one

Time sure flies. Yesterday I met with the Youth Discipleship for our HEAL Journey study. We finished Lesson One: You Are Wonderfully Made. Personally, the study was challenging, convicting and liberating. Here is a glimpse:

“Being wonderfully made means that you have a Maker- a Maker who made you and made you beautifully; a Maker who loves you and knows you, has amazing doe you, and longs to reveal to you your value and worth as His daughter.”
“We are God’s little miracles… his children… wholly and dearly loved.”

“As daughters of God we are made to live in the light, but too often we opt for the darkness either because it’s familiar and safe or because we’re ashamed of our secrets. When it comes to interactions with food, many of us are experts at hiding things. But the reality is, while we might be able to hide our secrets from the people in our lives, we can’t hide from God.”

Last quote… “We live in a world that threatens our relationship with God. We are surrounded by counterfeits that claim to be the answer to what our hearts are seeking. But He is the only One who can truly satisfy our hungry hearts.”

Good stuff, huh?!

Going back to the group, we had an awesome time. We were extremely blessed with an incredibly delicious breakfast provided by one of the Moms. Our guest speaker was none other than my best friend Andrea aka Nana (you can read our story here). She shared her “wonderfully made” story with the girls and encouraged them with two great verses: Ephesians 2:10* and 2 Corinthians 12:9*. I asked each guest speaker to prepare an activity and Nana taught the girls how to prepare their own homemade facial/body scrubs. The girls enjoyed that so much. We then dived into our group study. I am in awe of God’s goodness and faithfulness towards us as I read Psalm 139*. Each girl shared what being wonderfully made means to them. It was a time of both boldness and healing as we each shared our weaknesses. It was also a time of refreshing as God’s precious Spirit filled us afresh and anew with the promises found in His word.

Goodie Bags!
Gift giving is definitely my love language, so naturally I prepared them another goodie bag. This bag included two items:

1. Play-Doh: to paint the picture that God holds us in His hands, molding us to be all that He created us to be.

2. Gel Eye Mask: (double meaning for this one) A. Incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit is produced resting and waiting on the Lord. B. These eye masks can be used either hot to help relax or cold to help refresh but left to be used lukewarm would do absolutely nothing, therefore the application is to be either hot or cold but not lukewarm.

Keep praying for these wonderfully made youth girls as they embark on lesson two of their HEAL Journey. Have a beautiful week. Enjoy your life, the abundant life found in Jesus Christ.

* Click here for Ephesians 2:10, 2 Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 139