Amazing Quote

"I may not see the entire painting right now, but I know the Artist is putting the paint exactly where He wants it on my canvas." - Kyle Cline

Your Word For Victory

Hebrews 4:12a says "For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword..". Here is a list a verses from accountability to worry/anxiety and everything in between. I hope you find it as helpful as I have.

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  Accountability- Ecclesiastes 4:5-12, Galatians 6:1


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  Addictions- Proverbs 5:22-25, Romans 6:16, 1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23


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  Anger-Psalm 37:8, Proverbs 14:17,16:32,19:11, Ecclesiastes 7:9,Matthew 5:22,James 1:19-20


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  Assurance- John 10:28-29, Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Timothy 1:12-13, Titus 3:5, 1 John 5:13


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  Authority- Romans 15:1-2, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 2:18-25


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  Bitterness- Acts 8:18-24(23), Ephesians 4:31-32, Hebrews 12:14-15


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  Complaining- Proverbs 19:3, Philippians 2:14


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  Confession- Psalm 32:5, 41:4, 51:10-13, Jeremiah 3:13, 1 John 1:9


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  Dedication/Daily Surrender- Matthew 6:24, 33, Romans 6:13, 12:1-2, Philippians 3:8-10, Colossians 3:1-4, 2 Timothy 2:21


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  Dependence- Psalm 127:1, Jeremiah 10:23, John 3:27, 15:1-11, 2 Corinthians 3:5


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  Depression- Genesis 4: 6-7, Psalm 32:1-4, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Philippians 4:8


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  Daily Devotions- Psalm 19:14, 55:17, 63:1, 119:147, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Philippians 3:10


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  Divorce- Malachi 2:16, Matthew 5:31-32, 19:9, Mark 10:2-12, Romans 7:1-3


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  Drinking and Drugs- Proverbs 20:1, 23:31-32, Habakkuk 2:15, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Ephesians 5:18


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  Fatherless- Psalm 10:14, 27:10, 68:5, Proverbs 23:10-11


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  Fear- Matthew 10:30-31, Ephesians 3:12, 2 Timothy 1:7


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  Fear of Man- Psalm 27:1, 56:3-4, 11, Proverbs 29:25


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  Finances- Matthew 6:30-33, Philippians 4:11-13, 19


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  Forgiveness- Psalm 103:12, Jeremiah 31:34, 1 John 1:9


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  Forgiving Others- Matthew 6:14-15, 18:21-25, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13


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  Friends/Peer Pressure- Proverbs 1:10,13:23, 14:9, 22:24-25,14:1-2,27:17, 29:24


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  Gossip/Tongue- Proverbs 16:28,17:9, 21:23, James 3:2-12


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  Guy/Girl Relationships- Matthew 5:27-30, Romans 13:14, 16:19, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, 2 Corinthians 6:14, Colossians 3:5, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, 2 Timothy 2:22, Hebrews 13:4


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  Homosexuality- Lev. 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:24-32 (26-27), 1 Corinthians 6:9-11


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  Laziness/Work- Proverbs 18:9, 26:13-16, Colossians 3:23-24


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  Lying- Proverbs 6:16-19, 12:22, 19: 5,9, Acts 5:1-11, Ephesians 4:25, Revelation 21:8, 22:15


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  Media (TV, Gaming, Web)- Psalm 101:3-7, Proverbs 4:24-27, 10:27, Galatians 5:19- 21, 2 Peter 2:7-8


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  Music- Psalm 40:3, Proverbs 19:27, Ephesians 5:19, Philippians 1:10, 4:8, Colossians 3:16, 1 John 2:15-17


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  Parents- Proverbs 15:5, 20, 20:17,36, Ephesians 6:1-3, Hebrews 13:17


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  Prayer- Proverbs 33:3, Matthew 7:7-8, 21:22, Luke 11:5-13, James 5:16, 1 John 5:14-15


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  Pride- Psalm 10:2,4, 59-12, Proverbs 11:2, 13-10, 16:18, 29:23, 1 John 2:16


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  Profanity/Swearing/Speech- Exodus 20:7, Proverbs 4:24, Matthew 12:34-37, Ephesians 4:29, 5:3-4


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  Rebellion- 1 Samuel 15:22-23, Proverbs 1:24-26, 29-33


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  Salvation- John 3:14-18, 14:6, Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:13


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  Self-Control- Proverbs 25:28, 1 Corinthians 9:27, Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Peter 1:5-7


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  Selfishness- Matthew 20:26-28, 1 Corinthians 10:24, 13:5, Philippians 2:21


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  Soul-Winning- Mark 16:15, John 4:35, Romans 10:13-15


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  Stealing- Exodus 20:15, Ephesians 4:28


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  Temptation- 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 John 4:4


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  Thoughts/Pornography- Job 31:1, Proverbs 4:23, 16:3, 23:7, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Philippians 4:8


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  Trials- Psalm 119:67-76, James 1:2-3, 1 Peter 1:6-7


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  Words- Psalm 19:14


When to Answer: Proverbs 14:17, 18:13


How to Answer: Proverbs 15:1, 16:32, James 1:5


How Much to Answer: Proverbs 10:19, 15:28, 29:11


Good Results: Proverbs 12:25, 15:23


Bad Results: Proverbs 16:28


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  Worldliness- Titus 2:11-12, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-17


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  Worry/Anxiety- Psalm 42:5, Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7

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An Abortion Story

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said:

'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.

So the doctor said: 'Ok and what do you want me to do?'

She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.'

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care 2 babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.

The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!

'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be OK with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.'

The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point.

He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb.

The crime is the same!

"Love says I sacrifice myself for the good of the other person. Abortion says I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself..."

Jesus sacrificed Himself for the good of sinners! That's perfect love!

And In This Crazy Life And Through These Crazy Times..

(D.J., me, and Stacey. Drinking from a trophy, 100 one dollar bills, a bunch of change, and how could you forget the enormous amount of junk food to sell. Yep life with these two is never dull!)

WOW, I can't believe its April!! March has been absolutely crazy for me! On March 4, 2011, I asked God to open a door for me to minister to someone in some way. Then on March 6, I was talking to a lady I knew who ran a elder care with her husband out of their home. She said they were hiring for more help. I talked with my parents and prayed about it, went in for the interview on Monday and was hired on the spot. It consist of alot of cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the three ladies. My mom calls me the domestic Martha Stewart! I feel like I'm helping my bosses out more by cleaning alot of there personal living space, which seems to be shoved towards the back of their to-do list. There are many funny stories from my job but so far my favorite was when my boss was interviewing me and he said "Oh, your homeschooled? We homeschooled our kids too." Then later he asked how many siblings I had so I said "I have a brother who is a year older then me." He just kinda looked at me and was like "and..." then I told him that was it just me and my brother. He said "Oh, I was expecting ten more names to be listed!" On March 12, I took my SAT, longest morning of my life. I didn't do great (mostly because I was a nervous wreck), so I'm hopefully taking the ACT this Saturday the 9th. We had revival this past week with Dr Ron Comfort, who started Ambassador Baptist College. He was very good and we saw at least over 10 people saved. Tuesday I found out that my application for Leadership at STEP (Skills Training for Emergency Preparedness) so I worked on that till 2:30 Wednesday morning. When I got back on later on I found that the computer never saved the file (even though I know for a FACT I hit the Ctrl + S button) anywho I ended up faxing it in later that day. I still haven't heard back but I think its God testing my patience. The application consisted of two pages worth of questions and I figured I would share some of them with yall and my answers =)

9. Give details of your salvation experience.

I was born into a Christian home and had always heard that Jesus died for my sins. I thought I trusted Christ as my Savior when I was four. However, when I was fourteen, I started thinking a lot about it and realized it never became real for me. I had all the knowledge in my head but never in my heart. I believe I really accepted Christ as my Savior on June 29, 2007. Since then, God has done so many wonderful things in my life! One of the biggest things He has done for me was to deliver me from past hurts. In this, I am really thankful to God for His unfailing love for me, the healing he has brought, and everything He has blessed me with. I love serving and glorifying Him in all I do.

10. Explain why you desire to apply for service with the STEP Staff. Include the goals and vision the Lord has set for your life, and how God has been preparing you for leadership.

When I went through STEP it impacted my life so much that I would love for the Lord to use me as a tool and serve the next set of girls coming through. Nonetheless, I know I could never lead on my own, but with God as my helper, I will have His strength in me to be a servant. Even though I am homeschooled, I participate in my church’s Christian school. Because I am a senior this year I have stepped up to the roll of leadership on my volleyball and basketball teams. I remember when I was in 7th grade there was this senior, Justine, that I really looked up to and my mom said to “remember how she treated you and made you feel important. Because someday you’re going to be that age and have 7th graders looking up to you too.” Well she was right, they really do watch you, how you act, what you say, and when you talk to them, it brightens up their day just like Justine did with me.

11. Expound on what the following terms mean to you and to what level of surrender the Lord has brought you with each one:

One God – I believe in the trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in one. He created the universe, died for our sins that we may have life with Him, and He comforts and teaches us.

Day of Rest - God wants us to work hard and knew we would need a day of rest and rejuvenation. I think every day we should worship Him and glorify Him, but Sundays should be a time to set aside especially for Him.

Godly Relationships with Opposite Gender - I believe it is very important to have a God-centered friendship with guys to encourage, pray, and uplift them in the Lord. Also, I want to stay very guarded in my thoughts towards them.

Godly Music – Godly music should be anything that brings glory and honor to God, and does not go against what the Bible says. God has not brought me to a place where I only listen to Christian music. I listen to some country and other genres. There is some music I will not listen to because I don’t like it.

Honoring Parents - I believe God put my parents above me to guide and direct me. It’s my responsibility to respect and obey their decisions.

Clear Conscience – I need to have nothing between God and me so we can have the closet relationship. I also want to be reconciled with people that I have wronged.

Moral Purity - I desire to glorify God and please Him as His child to have pure thoughts and actions out of my love for Him.

It was very good for me to think more about what I believe. Because I have been raised in a Christian home and gone to church my whole life, I never really thought about what I believe on these areas. I greatly encourage you to think about the answers you would put down for number 11. If you don't mind I would love to hear your answers =)

(Blue team from STEP 2010!! Amazing group of girls, I miss them alot! What is STEP?? Skills Training for Emergency Preparedness (STEP) is a four-week outdoor adventure program for young women ages 15 and older. This challenging program is designed to build confidence on individual and team levels, in preparation to respond to life’s emergencies, while learning to put their trust in the Lord. STEP will help enrich each young woman in spiritual and personal disciplines, physical fitness and emergency skills that will prepare them to fulfill the calling God has for their life. I encourage every young women to go to this program. It is MORE then worth it!! http://www.alertacademy.com/step/)

P.S. This month I will be traveling to Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina to compete in the AACS (American Association of Christian Schools). I will be competing along side my band in Single A Orchestra/Band and Large Instrument Ensemble. We have been going for about 8 years now and have placed every year!! Then the following week I will be traveling with my fellow senior buddies to the Big Apple!! Busy Busy!! =)

Homecoming 2011: A Night We Soon Shall Not Forget

Homecoming is a night the Seniors will not soon forget. I am homeschooled but participate with my church's christian school. My class consist of only three of us, but I wouldn't trade these two for a huge class. Stacey, D.J. and I have the same vision, be an example to the younger students, encourage them, and glorify God in all we do. Our principle, Robert Brinkley, honors the seniors on our special night. The girls get escorted out by our dad and D.J. escorted his dad out (his mom was unable to attend because she broke her leg in one of the big snow storms we had). Mr. Brinkley talked about our accomplishments. After the ceremony D.J. played in the basketball game while Stacey and I cheered from our beautiful stage, Phantom of the Opera style!

I love my dress for many reasons. A, it is gorgeous and it is yellow (my favorite color!) B, It was $60 at JCPenney's!!

(From left to right) Mrs. Hoell, Mr Hoell, Stacey, my mom, me, my dad, D.J., and Mr. Davis.
(L to R) Mr. Brinkley, Stacey, D.J. and me
My dad, mom, and I (My brother is not here right now, he is at college in Wisconsin)
My hair. I played basketball before changing and my clarinet teacher, Mrs. Whitlock, did my hair after. As you can tell it came out very nicely.

My dad escorting me out

(L to R) Mr. Hoell, Stacey, Mrs. Hoell, Mr. Davis, D.J., my dad, me, and my mom

Mr. Brinkley giving D.J. his gift. (It was a alarm clock)

Stacey and her parents

My dad had a cold during this but did it for me anyways. =)

Blurry, but I like this picture.

My mom started crying. She told me later she played "My Little Girl" by Tim Mcgraw that day and was crying then too.

Senior class of 2011. I love you guys! =)

My "big sister" and I. We have had great bible studies, talks, and shopping outings together. I'm so thankful for her! =)

Chloe Belle, Victoria, Christiana, and me. I love these girls! They told me I looked like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. How cute =)

My best friend Rebekah and me. She did my make-up and took all these pictures. I love her to death.

Oh by the way Elizabeth, Rebekah, Christiana, and Victoria are sisters. I love big families!

Coach and me!!! I love this man (We matched, how awesome is that!!! Totally not planned) I think I'm going to have to do another post about how much this man has impacted my life. Yep, Sounds like a plan to me!

Healing, Joy, My Protector and Dear Beloved

When I think of what God has done in my life for the past month, I am in complete amazement. He seems to be stripping everything away so I would rely on Him more. I want to be His. I want his love to shine through me to others. That is my desire. I had a twelve year old girl ask me the other day "Why are you so happy? Do you have a boyfriend now?". My answer to both of those questions is, No. It is God who has been making me happy. There is a song that goes "The Joy of the Lord is my strength...." I think that is so very true. If we really seek Him he brings such joy to every part of our being. As you have read in a previous post I have been reading Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge and alot of this book seems to be directly written to me. I don't even know how to explain it, but God has been using this book to break me down. This time my Beloved is building me up to be more like Him. Ofcourse Satan has seriously tried to attack me. My Protector will not let that happen though He has suffered and fought to much for me. He is wrapping my wounds in His love and I can hear Him say "Give it up my child, come to me, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) You are beautiful to me and it will outshine all the fakeness this world is trying to offer. Only if you let ME work." Ok let me just say "Is that not the most exciting, romantic, beautiful thing EVER!?" Hold your horses it gets better!! In a part of Captivating they write this paraphrase of sorts from Isaiah 61:1-3. "God has sent me on a mission. I have some great news for you. God has sent me to restore and release something. And that something is YOU. I'm here to give you back your heart and set you free. I am furious at the Enemy who did this to you, and I will fight against Him. Let me comfort you, for, dear one I will bestow beauty upon you. Where you have known only devastation. Joy, in the places of your deep sorrow. And I will robe your heart in thankful praise in exchange for your resignation and despair." Ok seriously can it get any better then this?? I think not. The God of the universe is giving me such joy and romancing me in every way possible. I pray you will let the Healer heal any wounds you may have in your life. And open your self up to being romanced and protected by the One who brings such joy!

The Forgotten Man - Jon McNaughton

You HAVE to watch this!! I've always wondered what the Presidents of the past would say to Obama...

You Make My Heart Happy

(My amazing friend Abby took this picture of Ben my other dear friend's husband. If you have a Facebook check out Abby's photography http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Abigail-Polley-Photography/181264455220276 and like it.. You know you want too!)

Lately I have been reading Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. It is becoming one of my favorite books very fast =). In chapter seven there was a paragraph that I completely fell in LOVE with. It says "Every song you love, every memory you cherish, every moment that has moved you to holy tears has been given to you from the One who has been pursuing you from your first breath in order to win your heart. God's version of flowers and chocolates and candlelight dinners comes in the form of sunsets and falling stars, moonlight on lakes and cricket symphonies; warm wind, swaying trees, lush gardens, and fierce devotion." I have never thought about this before, but it is sooooo true. They go on to say "He knows what takes your breath away, knows what makes your heart beat faster." Can you believe it the God of the universe wants to romance you??? HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!?! This makes my heart happy. I'm going to approach each day with "Jesus, how can I fall in love with you more today? How will you romance me today? Whatever it is I can't wait. For it is you who makes my heart happy!"