Walks With God

     One of my favorite things about coming to the beach (RELATED: On the Road to Hilton Head, SC.) is walking along the shore and just talking with people or God.  Yesterday, everyone seemed content to resting after our long drive the night before, so I took off on my own to walk along the waves.  To be honest, I was quite angry.  My mind has been rushing with condemnation, college anxiety, and fear about my faith.  "What if I lose God in college," "What if God's not speaking to me because he's angry at me," "Why can't I be more secure or patient or outgoing or trusting...ect."
     These lies seem to swirl back to me when I'm not being watchful of spiritual warfare.   So yesterday,  I was angry that I hadn't been being watchful!  After a few waves kicked, I began to just sing to God.  As time went by, I became less concerned with what a passerby might think and more focused on just telling God how much I loved him and wanted more of him.  I told him that I knew I could trust him to hold ME in college, not the other way around.  I reminded myself of all my dad and I had talked about, about how college will challenge me and will be a huge change, but God is already there and he has prepared these four years as a time I will get even closer to him.
   
     Hold me, tighter
     Hold me Jesus
     Lavish on me, everything of you
     Let your grace fall on my shoulders as you
     Hold me, hold me, hold me Jesus
     Lavish on me, everything of you
     Let your joy fall on my shoulders as you...

     Your love is forever
     And I will love you forever
     Hold me Jesus, as I fall more in love with you

These were the words that just kept pouring forth and I was so excited.  As this was happening, God reminded me that when I focus on how to correct my sins and not on him, I am letting the sin be the lord of my life and I am acting as if I was never saved.

(photo credit:fromtraditiontotruth.wordpress.com)

     See, friends, God didn't come so you could fix everything up and try to be perfect.  The more I come to know my heavenly father, the more I realize that if I just focus on him and how much I love him, everything else will fade.  I will become more secure as I focus on God's love.  I will grow more patient as I focus on God's love.  I will develop further into the woman God has created me to be, if I just fix my eyes on how much I love Jesus!!!  Isn't that freeing?  Yet, isn't it easy to forget?  2 Corinthians 3:11 says, "But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ."
     That is what it's about: a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.  It's not about all that other stuff.  So what I'm going to try next time I get caught in this cycle, is to get in the habit of saying, "No!  These things are true, but they aren't my focus.  I focus on Christ and these things will fade away as I fall more in love with him.
     Maybe that will help you if you struggle with the same condemnation as I do, and perhaps it will also help to memorize 2 Corinthians 3:11.  I'd love to hear your comments on this aspect of spiritual warfare, so don't be shy!