Meditation Mondays - Compassion that Broke Barriers

Hey Everyone! 

Today's post will be directed over to the blog our church started. I am so excited to be part of it and pray that it will encourage someone today. Let me know what you think. One of my passions has been writing and sharing what God is teaching me and doing for me in my life with others. In my article I talk about compassion and how Jesus showed compassion. 

Have a blessed day!!!!

Compassion that Broke Barriers

Blessings and Shalom, 

Grace Mae <3 <3 <3 

Meditation Mondays - Writing Letters to your Future Husband

Today's post as we wrap up our mini series I'd like to talk about writing letters to your future husband. 

As I talked about last week praying for your future husband is important writing letters to him is something special. I have found that writing these letters is way to help me know that someday He will read these. I write about how I am thinking of him and praying for him or when something special happens in my life. 

You can write these on notebook paper, in a journal, or even on your laptop. It's another way to share your heart for your future together with him. The letters don't have to be long. I've thought about buying a special journal to use for my letters and prayers. Right now I am just using notebook paper which works just fine. It doens't have to be fancy, it can be plain and simple. 

Here is a letter that I wrote to my future husband that I wanted to share with you. 

Dear Future Husband, 

I haven't met you yet or maybe I have. Only God knows you are the right person for me. As I have been praying God laid this on my heart. Sometimes it feels like an eternity waiting for you to come into my life. It's hard seeing others around me finding love and moving on with life. It makes me want you more. I want you to know that I am waiting for you. I am not giving into temptation. I pray for you every single day and hope you are praying and waiting for me too. What a day it's going to be when we finally meet? I can't wait to see what God has in store for our future together. Just know that I love you. 

Much love,

Your Future Wife 

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 

Do you write letters and notes to your future husband? Do you find it helpful? Let me know in the comments. 

Blessings and Shalom,

Grace Mae <3 <3 <3 

Meditation Mondays - Praying for Your Future Husband

Welcome back to the third week in our mini series of preparing ourselves for our future husband. Today I want to talk about one very important thing. Prayer! This is a key element to preparing ourselves for marriage. We need to already be praying for our future husband. I am going to share with you 10 ways you can pray for your future husband. I use these every day.

1. Pray for his relationship with God. 

2. Pray that God will bless him. 

3. Pray that he will be a spiritual leader for your family. 

4. Pray that he will love you deeply.

5. Pray that he will have a heart for your children together. 

6. Pray that he will make wise choices. 

7. Pray for his emotional, mental, and physical health.  

8. Pray that he will prosper at work. 

9. Pray for his power to resist sexual temptation and stay pure.

10. Pray that you will show him respect, grace and kindness. 

These are just a few of the many ways you could pray for him. I'd just like to take a minute right now and pray for you ladies that are reading this.

Father, I pray right now for each one of the sweet ladies reading this. I pray that as they are waiting for you to bring that special guy into their life that you would help them resist temptation. I pray that they will continue to grow in your knowledge and wisdom. Let their hearts remain pure and as they prepare for marriage someday that they will be praying for their future husband whether they have met him or not. In Jesus Name, Amen!

Be sure to check back next week as we wrap up this mini series ;)

Blessings and Shalom,
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Meditation Mondays - 3 Things I Look for in a Date

Welcome back! Today we will continue in our series of what purity means and how to prepare yourself for your future husband. Let's talk about what I look for in a guy and how some of my standards you can apply to your standards as well. We all look for different things but I hope this will help you out. 

Does this guys share the same relationship and love for God that I do? 

This one is so important. The Bible talks about how we need to be equally yoked. I do not even consider a guy that doesn't love God and have a relationship with Christ. This is one thing I will never back down on and never compromise. I always say that until you find Christ and know Him like I do, don't come looking to win my heart. God has to be the center of his life before I will even consider dating him. 

Does he respect me and my views?

This is another important thing for me. He needs to respect me. I have certain standards and promises that I made to myself and God. Things like waiting to have sex until marriage or saving my first kiss for my wedding day. I will not date a guy that doesn't respect me for this and try to force me into changing my mind. If the guy really wants to date me and get to know me than he will help me keep my promises. 

Is He someone I can pray with?

Prayer is important to me. I want to find a guy that loves to pray just as much as I do. There's a saying, "couples that pray together, stay together." I believe that. One thing that will help me decide if I can date this guy is if He will pray with me whether it be on the phone, in person, or even in a text. I want to feel like I can come to him with a prayer request and that he can come to me. I want us to grow closer in my relationship with God through prayer together. 

These are just three of the things I look for and I hope they were helpful to you. Let me know in the comments below what you look for in guy. 

Blessings and Shalom,

Grace Mae <3 <3 <3 

Meditation Mondays - 5 Reasons Why I Wear a Purity Ring

You know just because you are single doesn't mean you can't be thinking about your future husband and life. Every girl myself included dreams about getting married and probably have your pinterest boards filled with ideas. I know for a fact that I have struggled with being single especially the last couple years. Most of my friends are either in a relationship, engaged or married and I'm over here just trying to figure out what I am going to do this week. I wouldn't say that I am fake but as I see my friends finding love and happiness I tend to put up a front on how content and happy I am being single while congratulating all my friends. Don't get me wrong. I really am happy for them. It's just I'm a little bit jealous that it isn't me. For the longest time I would worry and question why it isn't me. Then it hit me right smack in the face. Even though that special guy hasn't come into my life I should be preparing myself for him. Over the next few weeks in February I will be talking about what it means to stay pure and how to prepare yourself for your future husband. 

Today I would just like to talk about my standards of what staying pure means to me. If you know me personally you would probably notice a ring on my left hand. It stands for purity but to me it's much more than just a purity ring. It represents my promise not only to God but to my future husband. It was my choice and decision to wear it. I wanted to show other young girls that it's okay and nothing to be ashamed of to wear a purity ring if you truly believe in it. 

Here are a few reasons why I choose to wear a purity ring. 

1. It's a reminder of my promise to God, myself, and my future husband. Commitments are very hard to keep in the eye of temptation because we are only human and have wants and desires. My ring helps remind me everyday of my promise and why I choose to save myself for my future husband. My body is a temple of Christ and with Christ at the center of my life, His strength I can come against temptations. I want to be modest and save m y body for my future husband. It reminds me that my life is not my own but of God and I am here on earth to serve Him and make His name known. 

2. I serve a big God and this is a symbol of my faith. God is big and powerful. My ring is a symbol of the BIG God I serve. My faith is probably the most important thing in my life. The ring help signifies what I believe and a constant action of my faith. Without God I wouldn't be who I am today. God sent His son to die for my sins and raised to life on the third day so that I may have eternal life with Him forever if I ask Him to be the center of my life. 

3. It represents my respect for my future husband. Guys need to hear that they are respected and when I meet my future husband I want to tell him that I respect him. I want him to know that I kept myself pure for him. I want my future husband to know that I didn't give my body away before I met him. I want him to know that I overcame temptation. This ring is a reminder that I chose to love and honor him. I want him to know that I thought of him, our future, and life together when I made my decision when faced with temptations. 

4. My purity ring will attract the right kind of guys. Most guy that see my ring think I'm married or engaged but the right kind of guys will know that many young Christian women wear a purity ring. I want the kind of guy that will look beyond the initial attraction to get to know me as a person and my heart. My prayer is that the right kind of guy will respect my decision to remain pure until marriage. I want to get to know my future husband as a friend not just as an attraction. I want the guy to see my heart and soul. I want him to get to know me for me not just because of how I look. 

5. It's a conversation starter. Many people think it's a promise ring or that I am engaged or married. I get to tell them about why I believe what I believe and shows people that I'm not afraid to be scoffed at. Some people when I tell them my story applauds me for my choice while other think it's too extreme or that I'm crazy. Some disagree with me saying people don't do that anymore or that it doesn't matter. I have had people tell me just wait until you fall in love. All your standards and values will go out the window. You'll change your mind. Well you know what? Truth is it's my commitment, my life, my choice and that's really all that matters. 

So I challenge you today if you are single to examine your heart and think about what I just wrote about. If you wear a purity ring and would like to share your story I'd love to hear from you. You can either message me, email me, or just leave a comment on this post. 

Blessings and Shalom, 

Grace Mae <3 <3 <3 

Meditation Mondays - Accountability Partners

Whenever I start a new devotional or Bible study I have found recently that having an accountability partner has blessed me a lot. Some people don't know exactly what that is so I thought that I would explain it here and give you a few helpful tips on finding one or how to be one. It is so easy for us to get caught up with the busyness of life. We all have good intentions of starting a devotional or Bible study but sometimes we don't follow through. Things distract us and we mean well but sometimes we just get off track. Accountability partner is someone who helps to keep you focus and on track. They check on you to see how your quiet time is going but most of all they pray for you. 

Here are a few questions that will help you when deciding who would be a good choice as an accountability partner. 

1. Does this person share the same faith as you?

If the person doesn't share the same faith as you then probably they aren't the right choice to help you keep accountable. You need someone that shares the same values as you and your love for God. Just like the Bible talks about not being unequally yoked in a relationship it is the same when you are looking for an accountability partner as well. 

2. Do you feel comfortable with this person?

Next, being comfortable around them is another big issue. If you feel like you can't be yourself and real with them then they are probably the right choice. You need to feel like you can be honest with them and open. If you aren't comfortable with them it could cause you to not be completely honest with them and make you not want to tell them if you miss a day of devotions or quiet time. Make sure you are comfortable with the person. 

3. How often do you communicate with this person? 

I feel this is another key point. If you don't already communicate with the person chances are you won't communicate with them during your quiet time devotions as your accountability partner. The thing I always remember when choosing a person to help me is I need to already be communicating with them as least 3-4 times a week. It's very important! Being an accountability partner they need to check in on you at least 3-4 times a week if not more. It doesn't have to be long but even a simple text saying how's your quiet time going is acceptable. 

 

These questions are important! I hope this helps explain to you and help you understand more about accountability partners. I will be praying for you all as you think and pray about whether an accountability partner is right for you or if you want to be one. If you have any more questions feel free to comment or message me. I'll be happy to answer anymore of your questions. 

Blessings and Shalom,

Grace Mae <3 <3 <3 

Meditation Mondays - Worship Music

If you have been following my blog for some time now you will know that mucus is a big part of my life. Today I wanted to talk about Worship Music and how it can help with your quiet time. Ever since I could remember I would love listening to christian music. It wasn't until more recently as I got older that worship music became a big thing for me. 

There's something about getting into worship and prayer that makes me feel so refreshed and alive. I love just crying out to Him through song and just worshiping His Holy name. 

I encourage you to make a playlist of worship music and listen to it before and during your quiet time. I promise you that it will change your life. It did mine. I invested in buying spotify. I listen to enough music each month to justify paying. I have many different playlists on there but my most used one is called Quiet Time. Today I will name just a few of my favorites that are on my playlist for you. These are ones I listen to everyday. I love them!!

QUIET TIME PLAYLIST

Holy Spirit - Francesca Battistelli

Stand in Awe - Phil Wickham 

Let It Be Jesus - Christy Nockels

Refine Me - Travis Cottrell 

Jesus - Chris Tomlin

Nothing More - Aaron Shust

Overwhelm Me - The Village Church 

O Come to the Altar - Elevation Worship 

Faithful - Chris Tomlin

Satisfy - Aaron Shust

O Praise the Name (Anastasia) - Hillsong Worship

Glorify You Alone - Gateway Worship 

The Cause of Christ - Kari Jobe 

Do you have a favorite worship song? Let me know in the comments below. 

Blessings and Shalom, 

Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Meditation Mondays: Deeper Word of the Year

Every year I know people that choose a word. I personally never really have but this year I decided that I wanted to choose a word for the year. Today I would like to share it with you.

My word for 2017 is deeper. Over the last year I have come to realize He is all I need and this year I want to dig deeper. 

I want to grow deeper in love with God. 

I want to go deeper in my relationship with Christ. 

I want to go deeper in studying His Word. 

D- stands for depending only on Him

E - stands for He is enough for me

E - stands for He empowers me

P - stands for my prayer life of seeking Him

E - stands for He is my everything and more

R - stands for my relationship with Him 

Throughout the year I want to incorporate my word of the year in my everyday life. What word did you pick for the year? How will you incorporate it into your life this year? Let me know in the comments below. 

Blessings and Shalom,

Grace Mae <3 <3 <3 

Meditation Mondays - What Does God Want

Today let's talk about What Does God Want? That is a hard question to ask.
 
We as humans want to do what we want, when we want it instead of waiting and asking God. I know I struggle with this everyday. We need to let go and let God have control of the wheel. We need to let God take the lead because we can't do it on our own. We loose our way when we think we know better than God. We need to spend time with God and be still and listen for His voice. Now I am talking not just to you all but to myself too. I struggle with know what God wants me to do. Maybe you are at a point in your life that you are wondering Why am I here? What can I do? Please know that life is an adventure and God is our Guide and Teacher. He knows what is best for us and when the right time is even if we think it's not. So God, what do you want to do today? We need to trust Him because He knows what is best for us. 

Blessings and Shalom,
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Meditation Mondays - Who I am in Christ Matters the Most

As I was praying about what to write today God laid on my heart to write about this. As you grow from a small child into an adult you will find times when you struggle to find your place in this world. Everyone wants to fit it. Everyone wants to know who they are and what they are meant to do or be. A scripture verse that comes to mind is Colossians 3:1-4. In those verses it tells us that who we are in Christ matters more than what other people tell us about ourselves or what we think of our self. We are meant to live for God. We are meant to be His hands and feet. We are meant to share the love of Christ with everyone we meet. Yes we aren't going to please everyone. The only person worth pleasing is God Himself. So I encourage you today to take some time and think about what I said. You are special and even though you might not fit in with what the world thinks you should be remember that God thinks you are perfect just the way you are.

Blessings and Shalom,
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Meditation Mondays - Beautiful Messes

Today I am going to do something a little different. I am going to share with you a song. I know that it isn't Wednesday but this song has really been my go too this week. I love it so much. One thing I love about the message of this song is that no one is perfect. We all scars and baggage but we can lay it down at the foot of the cross. We can give it to God because we aren't broken or lost we are just beautiful messes. Hope you enjoy this song today. Let it encourage you as it has me.

Are you spinning in a ladder that keeps on telling you
That you're not good enough
And when you're looking in the mirror
Do you see someone impossible to love?

Full of fragile broken pieces
We're all rough around the edges

We ain't perfect no
We ain't even close
We got holes in our hearts
We got scars we don't show
But all that baggage we
Keep on dragging around
Anytime we start laying down

Lay it down at the foot of the cross
Give it to the one who can carry it all
Even at our worst, to him we ain't lost causes
Just beautiful messes

We're all David's we're all Mary's
We've been liars, thieves and everything between
But don't forget God used the misfits just like us
To do the most amazing things

So bring your thoughts, your flaws, your secrets
And watch him use those broken pieces

We ain't perfect no
We ain't even close
We got holes in our hearts
We got scars we don't show
But all that baggage we
Keep on dragging around
Anytime we start laying down

Lay it down at the foot of the cross
Give it to the one who can carry it all
Even at our worst, to him we ain't lost causes
Just beautiful messes

No matter where you are right now
Let thy grace come pouring down
It won't matter no
No it won't

We ain't perfect no
We ain't even close
We got holes in our hearts
We got scars we don't show
But all that baggage we
Keep on dragging around
Anytime we start laying down

Lay it down at the foot of the cross
Give it to the one who can carry it all
Even at our worst, to him we ain't lose causes
Ooh lay it down at the foot of the cross
Give it to the one who can carry it all
Even at our worst, to him we ain't lost causes
Just beautiful messes
Beautiful messes, yeah

Meditation Mondays - Be Consistent in The Word

Today I would like to talk about how Satan wants to try and keep you from spending time in The Word. It makes him mad when we spend time in prayer or doing our devotions. I know for me it has been a struggle to be consistent with doing my devos every day. Sometimes I feel guilty or like I failed. On facebook I follow a group of ladies that are so encouraging. They remind me that even if I am behind to just pick it up wherever I am and press on. One of my friends on there recently told me "make Satan mad today and just do your devotions." So I encourage you today that if you are struggling with being consistent with spending time in The Word you are not alone. One thing that may help you is get an accountability partner. It can be a friend, a family member, or a co-worker. Have them just check in with you each day to encourage you or remind you that spending time doing your devos is important. Also feel free to check in with me. I'd love to hear about with God is teaching you through His Word. You can find me on my facebook page and message me there or leave a comment on this post. One final thing I will leave you with today is this. My prayer is that you and I become consistent in studying The Word and growing in our faith and relationship with Him.

Blessings and Shalom,
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Meditation Mondays- Remain Steadfast

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

Trials can last a few minutes or many years. They can come in the form of a situation or a person you have known and grown to love.

When trials come, keep fighting on.

Endure trials because we know that one day there will be no more trials and those who love the Lord will be rewarded the crown of life.

The one requirement is simple: You must love God!

He is always good and always faithful! When you are being tested, hold fast to God. Be patient! God will give us life. Remain steadfast and continue to love Him.

Blessings and Shalom,
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Meditation Mondays - Wisdom and Faith

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5 

When I looked up the words wisdom and faith this is what it said. Wisdom, knowledge and good judgement. Faith, strong belief in God and trust.

He pours out His wisdom! When we need wisdom for our life we can run to the Lord. Don't ask for wisdom and then ignore the wisdom He has already given.

Do not doubt! Ask in Faith!

We wrestle with things nut we know Jesus is still the answer. Pray with faith without doubting or worrying.

He is generous and loves to help His children.

We shouldn't be afraid to ask God for wisdom. Doesn't matter how much or how often. Just come to Him in faith., knowing that He is the answer.

Blessings and Shalom.
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Meditation Monday - Count it all Joy

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." James 1:2-3 


Steadfast when I looked it up in the dictionary means true, firm, unwavering. We all face trials in this life. They are used to prove our faith.

Count it all joy! It's hard to find joy when we face hard times and trials. I think that's only normal. We should look at the trials joyfully because we know that God is with us. God is doing something in us and through us.

Remember trials always have a purpose! God uses trials for our good and His glory. He wants us to be more like Him.

One thing that I remember when I face trials is that Jesus has gone before us and we can hope in Him and ask for His perfect strength and wisdom.

Blessings and Shalom,
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Meditation Mondays - Servant of God

As we begin reading the book of James how does he introduce himself? He identifies himself as a servant of God even though he was the half brother of Jesus. 

My prayer is that I live my life for Christ and be a witness. I want His light to shine through me so that others see that it's Him living inside of me. 

As I was studying for this post I looked up the definition of the word servant. It said "a devoted and helpful follower or supporter." What we should be is a tireless servant of God. 

Thought for you: 
Are you a servant of God? 
How would others describe you? 
Would they know you are a servant by your actions? 

Meditation Mondays - Learning to Love

Today is the last of our learning to series. Today we are learning to love. We all have enemies whether we like it or not. Here are a few verses on love.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13:8-10

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

1. Admit we have enemies.

2. Love your enemies.

3. Pray for your enemies. 

4. Demonstrate grace to your enemies. 

I hope the last several weeks have been an encouragement to you as they have to me. Next week we will start something new. I have been blessed to have joined an online group that was studying the book of James. I would like to share it with you all. I hope that's alright. See ya all next week.  

Blessings and Shalom, 

 Grace Mae <3 <3 <3 

 

Meditation Mondays - Learning to Influence

This week we are talking about learning to influence. I'm really excited about this one. It really got me thinking about how people have an influence on my life. I pray that I can have positive influence on others around me and show them that it is Christ who lives in  me.


1. You are a change agent for God.
2. You are a guide to God.
3. You are an example of God.

Lost people all around us are watching everyday. Do we have our light on for Jesus? We are the light of the world. A town built on a hill that can't be hidden.

I'm sure you have people in your life that have influence on you. You just have to be aware of the good influence and the bad. We want to live for Christ and in everything we say and do be pleasing to Him. I pray that you can be an influence for Jesus with those around you.

Blessings and Shalom,
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Meditation Mondays - Discover Learning to Heal

Discover the extraordinary life when you ask Jesus to heal. Trust in Jesus' power to heal. His grace is all I need.

^"That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases." Matthew 8:16-17

Bring people to Jesus for healing. Ask Jesus to heal. 

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24 

I believe that we need to keep praying and ask Jesus to heal. It tells us in the Bible that by His wounds we are healed.

"Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted. 
 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, 
 and with his wounds we are healed." 
                   Isaiah 53:4-5 

Blessings and Shalom,
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3

Meditation Mondays - Learning to Listen

So here we are back at week two of what I learned at small group. 
This week I want to talk about learning to listen. 

You can learn to listen in large groups. Commit to be a part of Sunday morning fellowship. It is a great place to start. "not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:25

Another great place to learn to listen is in a small group. Study the Word and pray together while experiencing fellowship. 

Lastly, learning to listen in relationships. Speak life into you!!! One on one relationships provide spiritual coaching and mentorship. He wants to speak through you. 

Learn to listen during your quiet time. Determine a time and place to spend with Jesus. Be still and focus on God. Focus on His Word and listen to what God is saying to you. Journal what God is speaking to you. Most of all pray and worship Him. 

Blessings and Shalom,
Grace Mae <3 <3 <3