Tagged: goals

HELLO REMINDERS

This weekend was awe-mazing!!!!
I felt totally and completely in my element! Sweet spot, if I may.
I did something that I absolutely love to do.
Something I was born to do.
I felt that I was living out my purpose.

This past Saturday and Sunday I got the chance to teach at MSM WKND. 
MSM WKND is the middle school “Sunday school” at my church, Church by the Glades.

Leading up to each service my nerves would get all riled up. The anxiety would want to eat me alive however the minute I walked up to that podium and addressed that room full of middle school students nothing else mattered. I just had to make sure those students heard the message God placed on my heart for them to hear.

A Valentine’s Day message of course!!!
The title of my teaching was JESUS IS BAE.
It was so fun to teach God’s love in a relevant way. It was so important to me to address my students in such a way that they would understand.
Using their lingo to grab their attention.
Incorporating Youtube celebrity Miranda Sings.

I’m so extremely grateful to my Middle School Director for giving me the opportunity to speak to our students.

I promise you this weekend has confirmed the dreams and plans that God has been laying upon my heart. These two days of teaching middle schoolers about God’s love has reiterated the fact that my dreams are lining up with God’s design.

Seek Him and He will give you the desires of your heart has never been more true than in this moment.
A moment of renewed excitement.
A moment of reminder…. don’t forget the promises!
A moment that shouts…. “You’re called!!!” “You have purpose!!!”

My body may be exhausted but my heart cannot stop smiling! 

God is so good! He chooses to use the broken and seemingly damaged to advance his kingdom.
I accept the call!
I am broken and for many years I have considered myself damaged, but I choose to allow God to shine through my brokenness. That He may be glorified!!!!

I pray that as I continue chasing these new dreams God is revealing to me the doors may continue opening and the opportunities presenting themselves. My prayer is that I may be on my A-game, ready to say yes when the asks arrive! Ready to glorify God with every chance I get!!!

I’m more excited than ever to see what God has in store! I encourage you to go out and chase your dreams!! Don’t let your fears or insecurities get in the way of you achieving that which you were born to do!!!

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2/15/15

HELLO OBEDIENCE

What does it mean to be obedient?
Naturally I looked it up.
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I thought some of the synonyms were interesting.
When I clicked on submission it had a synonym of acceptance.

We’ll come back to that in a minute first let me explain why I’m even talking about obedience to begin with.

Recently I felt God leading me to make a decision that I didn’t necessarily want to make. In fact, in similar past circumstances I would ignore the nudges on my heart and I would continue doing what I was doing without a second thought, only to end up heart broken and feeling more damaged than before.
This time for some reason I felt an overwhelming-ness.
(It’s not a word, I know; I made it up!)
It was as if I could not disregard this discomfort or stirring in my spirit telling me that I was navigating dangerous waters. In the moment I would be good. I felt comfortable and content. Afterwards, I felt uneasy, doubtful and apprehensive. This went on for a couple of weeks before I decided to ask God for a specific sign. (Probably should have prayed on it on Day 1!)
Now you may or may not believe that God can answer our prayers with specific signs but I do. And because my flesh wanted one thing and my spirit was saying another I prayed for more clarity and a direct answer.
By now I’m sure you’re wondering if I got that answer.
As it so happens, I did. Was it the answer that I wanted? NO! BIG FAT RESOUNDING NO!!!
I started to ignore it. Just like every other time. I said to myself, hmmm maybe things can work out either way. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing and I’ll be just fine.

Silly Natalie!!!

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Now I have to give myself some kudos here because I truly believe I’ve come a long way from the hard headed, spoiled girl who did whatever she wanted knowing she shouldn’t. The girl who didn’t measure the consequences and then cried her eyes out for months in some cases years because she made the wrong choice from the beginning.
I’m glad to say that this time I listened to my gut feeling. I didn’t let myself get carried away by the desires of my flesh.

Galatians 5:19 says, “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures.”

I am NOT willing to compromise my purity.

I am NOT willing to take a path that can lead to sexual impurity.

Which is why Galatians 5:16 is so important! 16 “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”

This brings us back full circle.

It has become more important to me to be obedient to my Heavenly Father than to satisfy my own personal cravings. I’ve gotten to the place in my faith journey where submission to God’s law is a priority. I don’t want to feed the flesh and reap the repercussions. I long to strengthen my spirit and reap the blessings. I choose to accept God’s will for my life above what I think desire.

I am confident that as I delight myself in HIM, my King, that He will bless me with my heart’s deepest desires. (Psalm 37:4)

Comment below with what you are not willing to compromise. What have you had to be obedient about recently?

HELLO WOMEN OF THE BIBLE (WOTB)

For over a year now I’ve had this growing desire to study the women of the bible. I’ve read the SheReadsTruth.com Women in the Bible devotional series. I’ve attended bible studies at my church (Church by the Glades), which focused on women in the bible. I’ve talked about how interested I am in the women of the bible so much that friends have gifted me books and I have purchased and wish-listed additional books.

Their stories fascinate me.

Their courage inspires me.

Their faith motivates me.

Their realness still resonates loudly in our culture today.

These women knew what it was to cry out to God for the deepest desires of their heart. They knew, like many women today, what it feels like to WAIT, to lean on God and not their own understanding.

Some of my favorite women are Sarah, Ruth, Esther, and the woman with the bleeding disorder. Each of these stories has spoken to my heart in one-way or another.

I am so excited to officially begin this journey of an in-depth study of every woman in the bible in chronological order. The assignment feels bigger than anything I’ve ever done before. I know that by focusing on one to two women a month this project will take a few years to complete. I look forward to the extra time in God’s word.

I realize that I am far from a bible scholar or expert. I’m simply an average girl trying to seek my King. My plan is to read the scripture with new eyes. I will be using different resources to help me understand the richness of each story.

I am so excited for what God has planned for me to learn. What secrets will be uncovered?!?

The best part of this new venture is that I will get to share all of my “findings” with YOU!!!! I look forward to connecting with you and reading how God has moved in your life through SUPERSTARNAT.COM.

Get ready and join me every Friday for a new installment of the WOTB Series. I pray that as God uses these women to heal, mold, and strengthen my heart yours may also be blessed in supernatural ways.

January is all about Eve. So come back next week for Hello Eve Part I…