Author: servantsongs

  • Do not conform.

    Do not conform.

    It’s important to follow God’s laws and be obedient to His Word, but social media and other forms of entertainment can sometimes get in the way of that.

    Hi! I haven’t been posting on this blog in a very long time. So long in fact, that I almost ended the blog entirely. The past couple years have been the craziest of my entire life (but that’s for another time). 

    When the new year started, I made some goals for myself (shocking right?). Those goals included: getting in a closer relationship with Jesus and making healthy choices for my family. I’ve been working on this goal by:

    1. Making non toxic swaps for my home
    2. Learning a new homemade skill every month 
    3. Committing to reading the whole Bible (with accountability) 
    4. Reading Proverbs 31 everyday  
    5. Taking an extended time off of Instagram 

    I’m learning everyday what it means to be a Christian wife and mother, but social media is not my instruction manual for that… the Bible is. 

    God’s Word should be the resource you use to guide your life. There have been way too many times that I have let Instagram or Pinterest tell me what my life should look like. What does that result in? That results in feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. That results in me spending too much of my time and money on things that give a certain “appearance” instead of things that God has purposed for my life. 

    This isn’t intended to be a “light” message.  Something that I am going to bring up in almost every single blog post this year is John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” If we claim to have a relationship with Christ, we should be striving to obey his commandments. 

    “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

    Romans 12:2

    This verse is telling us that if we conform to the same things that the world is doing, then we won’t be able to discern the will of God. This means that when we look like the rest of the world, lines start to get blurred. “Oh it’s okay if I do this because…” or “that’s really not that big of a deal.” 

    “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” 

    Matthew 7:13-14

    Things that used to give us that uneasy feeling, feel acceptable now. If you have gotten too close to the things of this world, then you aren’t able to differentiate what is sin and what is not.

    The gate is narrow, but in our culture, we have a broad view of what is allowable and what is not. That’s very dangerous territory. The Bible teaches that it leads to destruction. 

    We are not supposed to look the way the rest of the world looks. Many of us are very lukewarm in this area. We are very quick to compromise in a lot of ways. There have been a lot of gray areas in our faith and we are quick to value comfort over conviction. 

    Social media can be an important tool in spreading the gospel. It is a great thing to be a light in this dark world, but don’t use that as an excuse. Like any addiction, it’s easy to say that it’s harmless when it’s actually an idol in your life. 

    This can often look like:

    • turning to the internet instead of the Word of God when making decisions on how to parent your children (Proverbs 22:6) 
    • constantly buying something new because you saw it online and now you can’t get it out of your head (Matthew 6:19-20)
    • endlessly scrolling on your phone instead of taking care of your other responsibilities.(1 Timothy 5:8)  
    • hiding behind your phone instead of cultivating the relationships in your life (Hebrews 10:25)
    • opening up the comments section to read all the mean things everyone is saying (or saying them yourself) (Ephesians 4:29)
    • spending your time catching up on social media rather than reading your Bible  (Psalm 119:9-10)
    • obsessing about likes to get the approval of the world (Galatians 1:10)
    • obsessing about someone else’s life instead of the life of Jesus (1 John 5:21)
    • being deceived into thinking that something is holy and biblical when it is not (2 Corinthians 11:13)
    • compromising on the values and instructions taught in the Bible because you’re so consumed in the world (Romans 12:2) 

    I have been taking some time off Instagram to get my heart in order. I want to post encouragement to others, but I need my relationship with Jesus and my duty as a wife and mother to come first. 

    The intention of this post is not to tell people to delete all social media. The point is to encourage you to check your heart and make sure that you are walking the narrow path. If you love Him, obey His commands!

  • Your clothes.

    Read Colossians 3:12-13

    Compassion.

    Kindness.

    Humility.

    Gentleness.

    Patience.

    Forgiveness.

    Love.

    In the morning, a general part of everyone’s routine is to put their clothes on. As a child and teenager, I used to have nightmares about going to school on the first day having forgotten to put clothes on 🤦🏼‍♀️. In reality, we would never do that.

    Colossians tell us to clothe ourselves with these things… yet most of us forget that everyday.

    How would it completely change our day or our week if we actually put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, forgiveness and love?

    I spend way too much time on social media. In that time spent, I see the opposite of these things. I see it in the comments from strangers and from people I know well (including ones I know are “Christians”). I’m also not always innocent.

    Maybe the change that we’re looking to see in the church, in the country and in the world will be found in how we start our mornings.

    We can’t forget to put our clothes on.

    Today, I’m not giving a question. Instead, I’m giving a challenge. Be intentional this week about putting on your clothes (compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love)

    Hint: there are 7 of them, so focus on one every day this week.

    Prayer,

    Lord, this morning, clothe me with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Help me to forgive those that wrong me and to show love to everyone who comes in my path. I pray that I am a light in the world and a testimony of Your goodness. Let them see you everywhere I go.

    In Jesus name,

    Amen.

  • How are you filling your time?

    Read: Luke 10:38-42

    This passage takes place in the home of Mary and Martha. We see 2 very different personalities. Martha was busy serving and taking care of the guests that were in her home. She was frustrated with her sister Mary, who sat and listened to Jesus while Martha was doing all the “work”.

    We can see that Martha believed she was the one doing the right thing, but when she brought her concerns to Jesus, he described her as anxious. Instead of reprimanding Mary for her lack of service, He commended her.

    In this situation, Jesus wasn’t praising laziness, He was looking at the status of their hearts.

    Martha was filled with anxiety about things being perfect. Although the things she was doing may have been good, her heart and mind weren’t set on what was most important. Mary, on the other hand, sat at Jesus’ feet. She desired quality time and a relationship with Jesus.

    In our day to day life, God is looking at our heart. There are many things we could be doing, but “one thing is necessary” (v.52)

    The intent for these devotionals is to “sit at the feet of Jesus” I want to learn what the Word has to say and to spend quality time with Him.

    Are you filled with anxiety “trying” to do what you think you should instead of diving deeper in a relationship with Jesus?

    What are some things that you are filling your time with that might not be “necessary”.

    Pray

    Lord, I want to sit at your feet. I want to learn more about You and get closer to You everyday. Forgive me for filling my time with unnecessary things. Help me to prioritize spending time in the Word and prayer. I pray that there would be less of me and more of You.

    In Jesus Name

    Amen

  • There is Hope

    There is Hope

    So I took this picture so I could post it last Saturday on #nationalrainbowbabyday but I just couldn’t post it.

    The words on that onesie had me too much in my head.

    They still do. It’s difficult for me to write about “hope” for some reason. Not because I don’t have it, but because it means so much.

    I had many moments after the passing of my son that were sad and really hard to get through, but only one true “hopeless” day.

    Exactly a week after he passed, I had a day where I doubted EVERYTHING. Throughout the 9 months, I had been writing down every moment, every sign, every doctors report, every prayer. I knew that writing it all down would be so important one day.

    Exactly a week after he passed, it was already a tough day, but then I also decided to read through that journal (it was probably a little too early for that). I also wrote down things that had happened in that week in great detail.

    Long story short, the journal did not encourage me. It had quite the opposite affect. It made me feel like everything was pointless and honestly… I felt like maybe God wasn’t even involved. My faith had never suffered so much.

    I have often said that I felt God so much through my pregnancy with Levi. Well, that didn’t conclude when he died. I still felt like God was there and speaking everyday after… except that one day.

    That day felt hopeless.

    That day I learned what hopelessness truly felt like. It was extremely dark.

    I also learned where my hope comes from.

    My hope is found in my Savior.

    For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

    Jeremiah 29:11

    This is a commonly quoted verse and one that is extremely encouraging, but this wasn’t said to the Israelites during their greatest victory. If you read the whole chapter, God said this to them in the midst of their exile. They were being told that their struggle would continue, but then they got this assurance that God was working through it. Even though things were going to be bad for a while, He STILL had plans for them. They still had hope.

    It was difficult for me to post that onesie picture as a symbol of rainbow baby day because hope is so much more than the excitement of my rainbow baby.

    Words can’t express how thankful I am for this child in my womb, but my hope does not come from the blessings of this earth.

    My hope is in the fact that my God is faithful. I may not see it the larger picture, but He knows the plan for it all. His plan for a hope and a future doesn’t mean that it’s going to go our way or that it’s always going to be fantastic. It means that our life has a greater purpose than we can possibly comprehend.

    Life can be unbelievably difficult, but…

    There is hope. 🤍

    (Ps. I had so many sweet messages from people after Levi passed, but one stuck out to me. An old friend told me that things might feel hopeless at times. She also told me not to be afraid to talk to someone if they do. Jesus is your number 1 lifeline, but God puts people around us to encourage us and lift us up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Don’t ever be afraid to talk to someone.)

  • Be Still and Know

    Be Still and Know

    Sometimes God speaks and we think we know exactly what He’s saying…

    Then when things don’t go exactly the way we thought, we doubt that He said anything at all.

    This is the story of my life 😂

    Last year, there were many times that God showed up in the midst of the chaos that was going on around me.

    There was one week where 2 of my best friends (without the other knowing) gave me an item with Psalm 46:10 on it:

    Be still and know that I am God.

    One gave me a shirt and the other gave me a bracelet. Whenever I started to get fearful and doubt, I would cling to the fact that God wanted me to rest in Him and trust Him.

    This, among other instances, told me that everything would be okay because He was in control. What I interpreted that to mean was… “my son is going to be born healthy.”

    I’m not going to lie and say that I haven’t doubted God’s voice since he passed, but as the year has gone by, one thing has become very clear…

    His ways and thoughts are higher than mine. (Isaiah 55:9)

    He’s still speaking and moving even when we don’t like how the events in our life are transpiring.

    When bad things happen in life, we can be still and know He is God.

    Knowing that He is God and believing that He is in control of all things; knowing and believing that He’s working all things for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)… these are the sources of stillness and peace when it comes to grief.

  • Miracles Happen

    Miracles Happen

    I wanted to learn what the Bible said about miracles…

    Because although, I desire to see a miracle, I struggle with what they are how to make them happen. That statement sounds really selfish. (That should’ve been my first clue).

    I searched in the concordance at the end of my Bible for the word “miracle” and I wrote down every verse that mentioned the word, so that I could learn more.

    As I went through each verse I had written down, I noted the verses that stuck out to me.

    Many verses in the Old Testament told me that God had done a lot of miracles in the past and we shouldn’t forget them.

    Most of the verses attributed miracles to faith. It also pointed out that lack of faith = lack of miracles.

    This is where I’ve been stuck… when I was pregnant with Levi, we started getting bad news that progressively got worse as the pregnancy went on. Family, friends and even strangers prayed with us and believed for a miracle. I had felt like my faith was stronger than it had ever been.

    I had clung to verses that spoke of how just a little bit of faith could do so much (Matthew 17:20, Mark 9:23), but the reports continued to get worse, and in the end, my little boy went to be with Jesus.

    Sometimes it seemed like a miracle didn’t happen because my faith wasn’t strong enough.

    As I continued looking at the Bible verses on miracles that I had written down, none were really helping me understand. I was praying for a revelation… and then I read the very last verse on the list:

    And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.

    Hebrews 2:4

    God had used signs, wonders and miracles in the Bible to confirm the truth of Jesus.

    It’s funny how sometimes you’re getting nowhere when reading the Bible and then all of a sudden… EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE! Lol

    Yesterday, I had been grappling with a similar question and I read Psalm 115:1 which says,

    Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness

    It’s a great verse and I clung to it, but it didn’t seem to answer my question. When in actuality, IT DID!

    It’s all for the glory of God. Yes, faith is necessary for miracles. Yes, miracles still happen all the time.

    No, they are not for my glory or pleasure. They are for His glory and to confirm that He is very real and active in our lives.

    Jesus was accredited my God through miracles

    Acts 2:22

    When Jesus did miracles in the Bible, it was to show the people that He was the son of God. It is the same for miracles done today.

    I may feel like God should’ve healed my son, but the truth is that God knows and sees so much more than I do.

    God is still moving in our world today and Jeremiah 29:13 tell us that if we seek him wholeheartedly, then we will find him.

  • Storms

    Storms

    Last night, I was thinking a lot about storms…

    One reason for that was because there’s a hurricane very close 😂, but I think we can all identify with those “storms” of life .

    Waking up in the middle of the night to the possibility of a hurricane as well as my upcoming appointment felt like a lot. So… I prayed about it and went back to sleep.

    This morning, right before I walked into my doctors appointment, “Peace Be Still” sung by Hope Darst came on in my car (God encourages me a lot through music). The lyrics made me smile:

    “I’m not gonna be afraid

    ‘Cause these waves are only waves

    I’m not gonna be afraid

    I’m not gonna be afraid

    I’m not gonna fear the storm

    You are greater than it’s roar

    I’m not gonna fear the storm

    I’m not gonna fear at all”

    Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

    Philippians 4:6-7

    I know this to be true more than anything else. When the storms are raging in our lives (both literal and metaphorical), prayer produces peace.

    I felt peace when the news was bad, just as I have felt peace as the news has been good (today’s news was good☺️☺️☺️)

    Relying on the One who is in control continues to guard my heart and mind.

    We appreciate everyone’s prayers more than you know!!❤️

  • An update

    An update

    If you ask me if everything is going well…

    I’ll tell you, yes.

    And that’s the truth.

    Every doctor’s appointment has been positive. Ever since the first trimester ended, I’ve been feeling good. Being in quarantine has allowed me to rest more and eat better.

    Of course, there has been the added stress of Covid, the news always bringing something crazy, and buying a first home 🤪, but overall, those things haven’t bothered me because I’m so happy to have a healthy baby.

    What is the most stressful part of this pregnancy? The doctors appointments.

    Early on in the pregnancy, I would have panic attacks about going to doctors appointments. Even though I thought the stress would subside once I got that first report, I was still left with anxiety for days after. I would feel relief after going to the doctor, but then would soon find a reason to stress again.

    My God is faithful.

    It’s hard to share about my doubts and my fears because I don’t want to lessen that statement. He was so present during my last pregnancy and He still is today. Even though I don’t always do my best to rely on Him, He gives me strength.

    For example, I have to have more tests than a normal pregnancy. Coming up, is one of the those tests. On Monday, I got the phone call to schedule an appointment and I ignored the call, full knowing who it was.

    I ignored the call because I just didn’t want to deal with it… especially not first thing Monday morning.

    Moments after the call, the song “Raise a Hallelujah” came on. This is a tricky song for me (with courage and timing, I’ll explain more about that later). Despite the fact that I don’t want it to be, 😂 the song is a reminder to me of God’s presence in my situation.

    I’m still in a place of wanting to ignore the stuff that’s hard, but God was letting me know that He’s in the middle of it with me. 🖤

  • Obedience… no matter what

    Obedience… no matter what

    The truth is… I’m lazy.

    I could be writing so much more, but I let my laziness take over. Sometimes, the words come in the middle of the night, but it’s just too difficult to get out of bed and write them down.

    I few nights ago, I actually wrote a short bit of what I felt in my heart.

    I was reminded of two stories in the Bible. The first was of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. I tend to reference their faith a lot in blogposts. The story goes as follows: the 3 men were being thrown into a fiery furnace. In that moment, they declared:

    If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.

    Daniel 3:17-18

    The second story that came to my mind was when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham was obedient to God even though God had promised this son to him. When Abraham had gotten to the point of almost sacrificing his son, God told him to stop and provided a lamb instead. The story shows Abraham’s obedience to God. This is one that has always been difficult for me to wrap my head around.

    As I thought about these instances in the Bible, I noticed that in both situations, they were obedient and faithful. They were obedient and faithful despite any assurance that they’d be saved from the situation.

    Their faith was not dependent on the outcome that they desired.

    Can we say the same thing in our own situations? Faith isn’t involved when you know the outcome.

    Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

    Hebrews 1:11

    But it does further than that… Are you willing to take that step of obedience? Are you willing to do what you are called? Are you willing to do what he’s asking you… despite the assurance of a desired outcome??

  • Heart Change

    Heart Change

    The past few nights I have been lying awake in bed for a long time just thinking about the day, the country, and the world. Last night, this verse came to mind. I was hesitant about posting because I never want to take scripture out of context, but at the same time, 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that “all scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”

    For the country to change, the hearts of the people must first change.

    HUMBLE YOURSELF- don’t think so highly of yourself, put the needs of others before yourself, put God’s will before your own.
    PRAY- pray for this country, pray for change, pray for wisdom and understanding.

    SEEK HIS FACE- seek what God would have you to do and how He would have you respond.

    TURN FROM YOUR WICKED WAYS- once you have humbled yourself, prayed and sought after God, you then should know the parts of your heart that need change. Be that change! Show love toward others; take the steps you are called to take.

    Healing comes from repentance. The greatest commandment is to love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). If that love is not evident in the way you treat others, then work needs to be done.

    Maybe part of His plan in us “staying home” during this season was because it was time for a heart change. 🖤