Delightfully Desirable

    Do you ever notice when you are reading a book that you are seeing what is written on the page, but a few minutes later you realize that you forgot what you just read? It is pretty obvious when that happens, right? Well what about actually understanding what you just read? I've even noticed that I do this sometimes. This reminds me of something that I've noticed many people misunderstand: Psalm 37:4,  "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." People twist this verse in several ways.

    One, this verse is often mistaken in that God will give you all of the desires of your heart. If your desires do not line up with His Word then He is not going to give it to you. This doesn't mean that you should take it into your own hands. It means if it doesn't line up with His Word then your in disobedience when going against Him. Taking desires into your own hands can be dangerous, period. When we give Him the driver's seat and put Him at the center of our lives we start to "look" like Him. The more time we spend with God the more we are going know Him and resemble the acrions of a Christian.

    It is just like when we hang around someone a lot we pick up traits that that person has. That is also why we have to be careful with who we accompany ourselves with as Proverbs 13:20 says, "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." It is dentrimental to our wellbeing. If someone is continuously treating another like their punching bag or is engaging in harmful activities it will affect you. It affects you negatively and the effect of that relationship is only going to cause you heartache. That isn't the only reason we are warned against the kind of friends we hang around. 1st Corinthians 15:33 also warns us saying, "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'." That is guaranteed when you hang around someone long enough giving way to their ways as well. In other words it ruins good morals. I know that someone wouldn't put that at stake if they truly valued their morals and beliefs. This is what brings me to my second reason.

    Delighting in someone means pleauring them. "In pleasuring the Lord He will give you the desires of your heart." Pleasuring , or pleasing if you will would entail obeying Him. Pleasing ourselves in the Lord would mean being content in what He has given us and also being content in our relationship with Him. Only then will He give us the desires of our hearts assuming that they do line up with His Word. Thirdly, it may not be His plan for us and we need to rest assure that HIS plans for us are greater than the plans we have for ourselves. That is when we need to put this verse into context. Psalm 37:5 states, "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday." As I have stated earlier the people you consume yourself with is going to be what you start to resemble after. As you spend time in the Word and in prayer your heart will change and the more you are going to be shaped after Him. Lastly, you have to understand that belief differs from faith. You can believe in God and not have faith that He'll bring you through. Faith in God means trusting that whatever He does give you and whatever He doesn't is for a reason. It's not just a flippant reason, it's a dang good one. And guess what else? He wants to be your number one desire.

God's Giving Grace

I actually wrote this poem towards the end of 2010. Grace is my middle name so I am often very enthralled with the heighth and depth of what grace truly is and how God is the only one who can have true grace in every situation. He's never bitter. He forgives and forgets and every day I am very thankful for His grace because I know that without it I wouldn't be here because I would have no hope to live on with how much I have failed.

God's Giving Grace

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Grace is undeserved
It is so indescribable
We are immersed
Grace undeniable
How is this so?
Gods grace is sufficient
Only God knows
Mercy expedient
God enables
It is deserved
In which we are capable
God of grace
His riches at Christ’s expense
We don’t have to chase
God’s grace is so immense
Man of mercy
Seeking after God
With all we have
Taking away our façade
Following Him to the end
Giving thanks
For the heart he mends

Copyright: Elaina Morgan, January 13, 2011

Hesitant Steps

I wrote this January 9, 2010. I don't have much to say about this one except that this battle is real.

Hesitant Steps

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Hesitation in my condemnation

To run back to your arms

Lost in this dry desert

In the way of harm

I need you to take me home

I'm trying to get to you

but I'm running in place

Doubt is getting through

Past grasping me

I want to turn to you

Lost in my failure

Calling out for you

Little bloom of hope

Blowing in the wind

Little flame of light

Guiding my way again

Hope for all the things I've been

I'm falling more in love with Love

Light so I can see the end

I'm falling more in love with You.

Copyright: Elaina Morgan, January 10, 2011

His Gift To Me

    I want to start out by saying that the only time I am blessed with the ability to write poems is when I am in tune with God. I have never been able to start or finish a poem without doing well with Him. I feel this is His gift for me, a gift where I can express my love, hope, and peace in God.

Mercy

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

You delivered me from the flame

which burnt me down to nothing.

You sheltered me from the rain

to make me into something.

You have taken me in,

Forgiven me again .

You wiped away my sorrow.

Gave me a hope for tomorrow.

Love overwhelming.

You picked me up and wiped my tears

when I could not stand it any longer.

You helped me understand a righteous fear and

in my weakness I was only made stronger.

With your Word you have fed me truth.

Changed me from old to new

giving me wisdom in my youth.

You have changed my world view

from something so meaningless

to something so worthy of it.

Love acquiring.

Aimless

Aimless

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

I know who I am.
Although I'm lost.
I know the way.
Its my choice.
I’m reaching as I fall.
With nothing left to lose.
Knowledge or poison?

I know what to choose.
I’m running aimlessly.
Trying to decide where to go.
Maybe into your open arms.
I would find inexpiable love.
But my mind can’t comprehend.
How my heart can disarm.
Love or reason?

I know what is right.
And I know what is wrong.
Love is the light.
A place where I can be strong.
There’s a war going on.
A place where darkness can’t be turned off.
Obscurity, lurking in the shadows.
We flip the switch.
And that light turns on.
Openness, shining so.
Spirit or flesh?
I know where to go.

Battle In My Head

Battle In My Head

By: Elaina Morgan

There’s a battle in my mind
Losing sight to all that I had
I know there’s something I need to find

Because I find myself falling again
Falling all over again
His love covers me
His love brings me to my knees 
And I will worship now
With all that I am
There’s a little peace in my heart
That’s filling me up again

I want to do my part and never cross the line
Because I have now realized how much of you I need
Lord, please take all of me
I know I can’t do this on my own
My failures succeed
Bringing me far from what I need

I need you, I need you to bring me through
This darkness I seem to find
It always seems to win over me
But I want to change my thoughts
I want to change who I have become
I want to change the things I have sought
Capture me with open arms

One Thousand Miles

(Starting to transfer things from my old blog into this one so I can focus on one. These may be new to you however so feel free to read:))

One Thousand Miles 

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

I’ll show you Him

Whose love is true

Take my hand 

I’ll walk you through

Across this land of darkness

Scared me into a thousand miles

I’m scared for you 

Of what you’ll choose

Life defined or love divine

Will you gravitate back to the world

Back to that corner where you were curled

Will you journey with me a thousand miles

To love unconditional, grace indescribable

I know the chance of pain in my heart 

Can’t overcome the chance of freedom in yours

It’s worth the chance of mine breaking apart

For I know that there’s healing 

After those numb feelings

Free from our chains

He gives us a fresh start

He overcame the pain and

Puts back all the pieces torn apart

Will you follow through

This choice is yours

Life defined or love divine

It’s a breakthrough

Sacrifice and lose it all

Rewarded later for giving it your all

Put the habits of the past in the past

Your future’s determined by the present

This joy He gives outlasts all the worldly happiness

Its comes down to you

Will you step over that aching fear

Is there a deep desire burning behind those tears

To know the one who is true

This choice is up to you

How To Be Religious For Dummies: LOL

    Disclaimer: If you want your church to stand out do NOT follow these because you JUST might cause an epidemic in the normality of MANY churches today.

1. When you get a little sniff of someone who smells like smoke give them a dirty look and plug your nose like they passed some really bad gas and say, "Excuse you." If you are feeling extra brave march up to them and tell them they don't belong here and then suggest they come to the church bonfire so they will fit in better with everyone else.

2. When someone smells like B.O. and then gets up the nerve to raise their hands during worship scoot away as inconspicuously as you can. If that is not possible to do at the moment then raise your hands like a good church kid, do the "car wash", and imagine that you're wiping all their sins away because obviously Jesus forgot to take care of something.

3. When the pastor introduces you to someone and asks you to sit with them then make sure you obey or you just might go to hell, but make sure you get another friend to sit on the other side of you so you aren't completely tied down. Make a few comments to the newbie then rotate your body gradually so that you end up facing your friend and pretend you are having an important, "godly" conversation about what you are going to wear to the youth conference so that you are able to scout out cute, christian singles while looking "Christ-like."

4. When you realize you've fallen asleep in church belt out a casual "Amen!"  or "Hallelujah!" so that everyone thinks you're holy. Just make sure you don't let out an amen when the sermon is about sex.

5. If someone is singing off tune start to sing louder than them even if it does turn out like the competitions on "The Voice." You wouldn't want anyone around them to be distracted by their lack of angelic praise.

6. When someone brings a tambourine run as fast as you can to the church resource center or even the church book store to get one for yourself so you can make sure that they stay on a righteous beat.

7. If someone accidentally lets out a cuss word then suggest (or pressure them depending on how bad the cuss word was) to get baptized right after service. If the church isn't holding baptism on that day then drive them over to your house after with haste and dunk them repeatedly in the bathtub and possibly rinse their mouth out with soap.

8. If the newbie that came to church that morning is extra cute and "Boaz" material then glance at his left hand to make sure he is not married. If he is blessed to be single then quickly find where he is sitting and place your stuff there. Once offering comes around after the service get out your checkbook and tilt it towards him casually so he can glance at how much you are going to give. If you want to impress him then consider going triple digits and if you want to make him your husband without a doubt then quadruple digits is a must.

9. Go up every Sunday when the pastor is giving an alter call. You want to make sure your sins from that week are forgiven. You also want to make sure you lift your left hand when responding so that when you walk down the aisle to the front looking over the crowd you'll come eye to eye with any prospects.

10. You go to the singles ministry luncheon flirtatiously eating grapes like Delilah so your Samson will grow weak at the knees.

11. When the very first thing you pray about matches the lyrics to "Raining Men" by Rihanna.

     Our sole purpose is to live for Christ, love others, and accept them. This was meant for joking around about some things we see or get caught up in and others that are just ridiculously funny. This has been SO fun to write. 

To be continued...

Walls vs. Guards

    The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." The Bible tells us that when we attain peace in God it will help us guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. If we are content in what He has given us in the moment and not lusting after worldly things then guarding our hearts will be an easier task. The more we meditate on His Word the easier it becomes to recognize things that are ungodly causing our spirit to become more aware of the things that have the ability to pull us in the wrong direction. As we recognize this we see that He has given us the ability to resist those things. He doesn't just give us the ability to resist; he equips us as well meaning that he gives us the tools we need. He gives us resources so that we may not fall into the trap the enemy has set up for us. Hebrews 13:21 says, "May he equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and forever. Amen." This means we have to think upon things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and whatever is admirable like it says in Philippians 4:8 so that we are glorifying God with every thought and action. 

    Now I am not saying we have to sit in church every single day; take communion every breakfast, lunch, and dinner; or say "Hallelujah!" every time you get through a light without it turning yellow. I am saying that if we are doing things that are not building us up in Christ but tearing us down then we need to catch it before we fall even further. You know what you can and cannot handle. If you struggle with drugs you shouldn't be putting yourself in a place where it is going to cause you to be tempted to do it again. The importance of guarding your heart is written in Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." In other words it determines the course of your life! If you are constantly putting yourself in situations that are not building you up then eventually you are going to fall. One choice can bring you into a whole new world of sin. Your mindset might be that you are only trying it and getting it out of your system now, but if we're not careful to run from it sooner than later then it's only going to be a matter of time. It's going to get harder for you to turn from those things. The road will be longer to get back to where you wanted to end up and if you stay there you're never going to reach the destination you wanted to get to.

    It is so very important to do this because things that don't seem like a big deal now can become one later on if we are not careful. Luke 6:45 ties into all of this telling us that: "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Now guarding your heart is different than putting up walls. When we put up walls it makes it harder for us to love others. It can make us deaf to the things God is trying to speak to us. No matter how much someone hurts us we have to be able to forgive and protect ourselves from the threat of bitterness. It just makes it harder to let other people in and even God causing hatred. This will stop us in our tracks making it impossible to grow so that we may become the person God wants us to be. His purpose for us is to love one another like He loves us and we cannot do that if we are constantly worrying about being hurt by everyone. We need to forgive and forget like I have written before, but when it comes to forgetting we have to be wise in what we are letting in (that is when guarding your hearts comes into play). Discernment is an important factor in what action we are supposed to take in order to do that, but remember that forgiveness and love must also be present in everything we do. Love is the KEY factor in tearing down any walls that we have built up in our lives. If we can love like He loved us and stay in tune to what He tells us to do then He will work in our lives undoubtedly.