Hey guys!

As I was trying to decide what to write about for this guest post.  I decided that I would write about a few of my favorite Bible verses and tell you why they are some of my favorites. 

1.       Isaiah 41:10, so do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

There are a few reasons that this is one of my all-time favorite verses.  I think one of the main reasons I really like this verse is because it is my birth verse.  I really like this verse because it talks about us never fearing because God will always be there to strengthen and uphold us. It gives me comfort and peace knowing that God is always with me.

2.       Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I don’t know exactly why this is one of my favorite verses, but I really love it.  I really think that this verse calls us all to be evangelists, and spread the good news of Christ with everyone.  This verse also tells us that God is always with us.

3.       Romans 5:8, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

This verse is one of my favorites because it tells us how great God’s love is.  I know that there are many verses that tell us this, but I feel that this one states it very clearly. God shows us his love in many ways, but this is one way that He really clearly shows us.

I hope that you all are having a great day!

If you have any questions feel free to email me at lnt510@yahoo.com

 -Lauren, lntbutterflykisses.blogspot.com

BeYOUtiful: God-given Beauty

     Beauty comes from God.  Did you know that?  God is the creator of all things wonderful, beautiful, amazing, and incredible.  He made the rising mountains, the setting sun, the oceans roaring, and the lull of the night.  He made all of those things!  He made them for US, because He loves us!
     God created you the way you are for a reason, because He is a loving father.  God is not in fault in any way, He is perfect, and He loves us in our imperfection.  Even if the beauty advice I give in this series helps you, your beauty can't be complete unless you have Christ in your heart.  Because, without Him, in Christ's eyes you are covered by the stains of your sin.  With God, you can become clean again.  You will never be perfect, but with God you can strive for perfection.
     The girl with God in her heart glows with a supernatural beauty from the inside out.
     Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. -Proverbs 31:30
 If you don't like your body, think about it this way; if you're a Christian, when you go to heaven, you will have a perfect body!    
     who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. -Phillipians 3:21
     God loved you so much that He came to die for you and to save you!  All you need to do is ask for His forgiveness and say that you believe that He died on the cross for your sins.  If you pray a prayer something like this-
Dear Lord,
     I know that you died on the cross for my sins.  I thank you for your sacrifice for me.  I can't believe that You, the Creator of the Universe, cares about me!  Please forgive me for all of the sins I have committed.  I ask that you come into my life and help me to be a bright light for you in this dark world.  Thank you for being my Savior!
In your Son's Precious and Holy Name,
Amen

Whether or not you are a Christian, I suggest you watch this video...

Britt's Bible Verse Editing Contest: My Entries

     Did you all enjoy the fashion show?  I know I did!  It's so nice to see other girls' style and read all of the encouraging comments they got!:)

     Today is the last day to enter the Bible Verse Editing Contest hosted by Britt at her blog Daughter of the King.  You  should check out her blog even if it's only to see the BEAUTIFUL blog design she did!

     In this contest you take a verse or two:) and design a picture and text combo to make it inspirational, uplifting, or just plain pretty.  I designed two and would LOVE to hear what you think about them in the comments:).

All Things Good

     The sermon today was about my favorite verse, Romans 8:28.  That's what this blog is named after.  Romans 8:28 says- "And we know that all that all things work together for the good of those who love God, those who have been called according to His purpose."
     A big part of this message was to learn how to suffer well.  What does it mean to suffer well?  It means to not pretend that everything is okay and to learn to say "God, I trust you."  Even in the fire and trial.
     An analogy my pastor used was a child learning how to ride a bike.  You don't have to teach him how to ride downhill, he can just coast.  But, he has to learn how to ride uphill... the same with trusting and praising God.  It's easy to praise Him in the good times, we need to learn how to trust Him in the bad too.
     You must remember that ALL THINGS pass by the sovereign hand of God.  He's not surprised by anything.  We may get into bad situations because of our own stupid mistakes, but that's not because of God.  He just allows it.  He looks at the situation and says "This is bad, but I can use it for your good."
     Sometimes we look at good from our perspective.  Good means- beneficial, profitable, or useful.  God's ultimate good is not to make you happy, healthy and wealthy, although he loves to bless us.  Because as much as God wants what is good for us we learn more in darkness than in light, gain more in sickness than in health, and pray more when we are afraid than when we are brave.  Here is a dissected form of the verse-"And we know that all that all things work together for the good of those who love God, those who have been called according to His purpose."
     It's comforting for me to know that God always has my good in mind.  He loves us and has a plan for our lives... for your life.

Temptation...and How to Combat it

     We all face temptations in one form or another.  We face temptation many times every day in fact.  We face temptation so much that it can become almost unnoticed in some cases, we tune it out.
     Temptation is a difficulty for me.  It's where we draw the line between what we want and what God tells us is what he wants, and as Christians, we should want too.  "I really want to do this or that, but I was told not to.  Well... it's not really that bad or dangerous... maybe they just weren't thinking about it when they told me not to touch that stove.  They probably don't know to much about stoves anyway."  And we touch the stove.  What happens?  We get burnt.  Plain and simple.  Sin will never become profitable.
     Why?  Sin does not come from God, it comes from Satan, and his only goal is to hurt you.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
                               1 Peter 5:8
     
     But what if the temptation is just too strong?  Because we can't help sinning then... right?  Wrong.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 

                                         1 Corinthians 10:13

     So now we know that temptation is not from God, and that he will not allow any temptation from Satan to be too strong, so how can we fight temptation?
     

• Memorize bible verses.  Be able to say them in your head when you find yourself being tempted.  
• Don't put yourself in a compromising situation.  If you don't feel comfortable with what is going on, or don't think God would approve, by all means get out of there.  Always follow God's standards.
• Pray.  God will always help you.  He is strong enough.
• Think about the consequences.  Let's face it, sin can be fun, at first.  Think about what the consequences would be, if not here on this earth, then when you meet your Lord, the King of Kings!
• Punish yourself.  If I fall into one of my bad habits, I slap myself.  Yes, it doesn't hurt that badly, but it's still enough to give me a little jolt into thinking about if I really want to do this.

Always remember, God is with you!  The King of the Universe is there to help you.  You can do it!

Peace From Burdens

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourself."

What a beautiful picture!  We all know how tough life can get sometimes, and the thing about it, is that all of the bad seems to come at one time.  You feel overwhelmed and burdened.  I know the feeling.

But then, there are times when life's going great.  You're loving God serving him, being faithful... then something happens.  Something that sets of a chain reaction.  When you are going through one of your "bad times" or "rough spots", something that may have seemed like a small mishap in the good times can feel like a tidal wave.

That's where God comes in.  He offers you rest.  A peace that no man can comprehend.

I have gone through a period recently where I felt unconnected to God and was not trying to live for Him as much as I should have.  I was focusing on me.  On top of that, I had some others problems , but one night I said, "God, I'm going to give myself and my problems to you, I know it will be better with you at my side.  Help me to be your servant."

With that, I felt a peace.  I have never experienced something so uplifting before.  I find that the more I seek Him and His will, the happier I am.  Devotion time has become such a special time with me and God.  Filled with peace and love.  Having a relationship with the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE is so amazing.

Take refuge in Him!