Incomplete Metamorphosis

	Incomplete Metamorphosis                   God spoke to me while I was on a trip with my daughter to the Academy of Natural Sciences.  As we wondered through the live Butterfly exhibit I was drawn to the information on the Incomplete Metamorphosis of butterflies.  It was in this exhibit, that I began to understand the consequences of not allowing God to change us.                   The first process that occurs in the lifecycle of a butterfly is the Egg stage. This is when God initially calls us into a life with him.  Many of us are called through a time of crisis which allows God to crack the shell of our hard heart.  We sense God in our heart, but the reality of walking with God is still a mystery to be unfolded.  If we are not careful in this stage, we can quickly just be giving lip service to our confession of faith.  In this moment the best advice is to join a local church that teaches the word of God, read your word and connect with mature believers who exemplify Christ.                   The next stage of a butterfly is the Larva or caterpillar. What is remarkable about this stage is that the caterpillar just eats and eats. Remember when you first came to know God?  You attended church faithfully and fellowship was exciting. You ate the word of God and thought nothing could match that feeling. You loved God and his purpose for you and your family. This stage in the Butterfly’s life is also a time of shedding old skin to make way for the growth of the body. When you first came to know God, many sins quickly shed away.  It felt good not to cuss, drink or sleep around.  This was not because God wanted to make room for new sins to eradicate, but to show forth his Glory in our lives.                   The Pupa Stage is next and it is marked by a time of transitions. Many of us get stuck in this stage because we fear growth and what it may mean to our lives. A lot is happening in this stage but it can appear that nothing is happening.  When this stage occurs we are often going through many changes that we begin to lose our wonderment with God, church and people.  We don’t doubt God’s love, but we can get lost because the growth is too hard for us to comprehend.                   Growth is hard and we are all constantly fighting to remain in Christ while the battle is occurring, yet if we skip over the Pupa stage, we will develop an incomplete metamorphosis.  See, when a butterfly skips the Pupa stage and goes on to adulthood, they miss a very significant part of their process and regrettably will physically resemble an adult, but emotionally and physiologically will miss key components of the growth process.  Like the butterfly, many Christians want to go from a child to an adult in Christ. We want the blessings without growth to our character. We want the wins, but don’t want the failures. We want elevation, without humility.  Today, reflect on your growth process. Don’t turn back, but look forward with expected hope that Christ desires us to be whole; spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. The word says “He who has begun a good work in you will bring it into completion at the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6. The word promises us that Jesus is the one who will bring it into completion if we remain.  Therefore, don’t be okay with Incomplete Metamorphosis, but seek wholeness in Christ.

Spring Fling

"He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord." Proverbs 18:22 NIV

Hello Ladies it's I am her and we are back! This week's blog is dedicated to all the single ladies. Well spring is quickly approaching its the time when the grass begins to grow and the flowers begin to bloom, time to get out more, picnics, running and working out. It's the time when winter acquaintances begin to blossom. This year be careful not to get caught up into a spring fling.
When you partner with a man you don't partner just for pleasure.

Look at the ant he works from instinct, many of us ignore instinct especially when it comes to hooking up. This is spring break season for many students, the gatherings are wild and crazy with no restraint, many will give themselves over to a spring fling. This is the hookup culture and everyone is searching for a hookup. Now is the time when people look for spring and summer fun.

Ladies you don't need a fling, you need a ring and someone to love you, someone that will not leave you ashamed, hurt or abused. Love doesn't act like that but a fling does, ladies it's defined to be temporary, deliberate short term sexual relationship between two people.

Love is an art that needs to be learned and practiced, full love must include a willingness to commit to someone. Commitment involves promise deliberate intention to take the bad with the good and a willingness to share one's life with. Love is of a purpose beyond yourself, a fling is for self and pleasure. Don't fling it because you can't wing it, it is worth the wait. The message bible interprets it like this "find a good spouse, you find a good life-and even more: the favor of God! Don't become the fling but become the thing that he can never live without.

Oh Ye of Little Faith...

I have been a Christian for many years, my daily studying and reading of the Bible was when I found time. Between religiously watching television my prayer life consisted of the prayer line at 6 am daily and my own personal prayer at night before bed (most nights I fell asleep without finishing).  So even though I faltered on those spiritual life sustaining activities, I believed my faith in Christ was strong.  For the scripture in Hebrew 11: 1 states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.” So according to this scripture surely I had deep rooted faith because I had a deep hope in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and a deep belief in Word, despite ever seeing Him. Or did I?

For months my faith was shrinking, to the point that I even considered leaving church and God, behind forever.  So I began seeking the word that I would increase in faith. I would read every scripture that contained the word faith.  I read Hebrews 11:1 continuously. Surely somewhere in one of those scriptures pertaining to “faith” would be a boost, a refill, something that would increase my faith.  But no amount of reading, made a difference.  I felt there was no need to increase my personal time with Christ, or reading, studying, or prayer time. I felt as though I was missing the premise of Christianity and without it, those spiritual life sustaining activities, would be in vain.

So I began looking for the reasons for why I was struggling in my faith. For months I could find no answers, until one day I was reading BibleStudyTools.com, a daily devotional that I receive everyday was about faith.  In the devotional the author stated, “Contrary to popular opinion…, Faith is not belief without proof or belief despite evidence.  This definition reduces faith to mere fideism…, …and that skeptics …and Christians should reject it, too.  …rather faith is a complete trust or confidence in someone or something.”  Let’s just say that that blew me away.  It left me a little baffled and confused. Could it be that what I thought was faith and the faith I needed was just pure fideism. I had some studying to do, to say the least.

           

So I began studying the word fideism and it is defined as “the doctrine that knowledge depends on faith a revelation.  My faith was not independent of reason. Then I began to study the word Faith, as it is meant in Hebrews 11:1.  In the Greek it is translated as Pistis, which means, “God’s divine persuasion; a conviction of the truth of anything (a) relating to God, (b) relating to Christ, (c) religious beliefs of Christians, (d) belief with a predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or Christ…” The reason I lacked in faith almost to point of no faith was due to my minimal understanding and trust in God's word.  I realize reading the scriptures without revelation would not increase my faith.  I needed Faith (Pistis) , the divine persuasion by God, a conviction of truth of anything as it relates to God, as it is defined  in the Greek, which is only gained through a personal relationship with Christ, and the only way to have one is to study the Bible and pray consistently and commune with God himself. 

The truth of the matter is this, my personal relationship with Christ, studying and reading the Word, my personal prayer time was not a constant activity in my life, I didn’t know God and it is impossible to have total complete Faith in someone that you do not know. So I began to increase my prayer time, my studying and reading time and my personal time with God.  I also began using the Greek meaning of faith as it is defined in Hebrews 11:1 and read it like this: Now FAITH (the divine persuasion of God, the conviction of truth relating to God, Christ, religious belief of Christians, and a belief with a predominate idea of trust (or confidence) in God or Christ) is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.  For those of you who may be going through a season of little faith begin to read that scripture as stated above and you may be able to understand why your “Faith” is so little.   

      He Will Fill Your Void

The Woman said to him, Sir give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water. (John 4:10-15)

This Samaritan woman was living with a void. After attempting to fill it with broken relationships clearly it left her empty, something a lot of us single women and single mothers can relate to.  So often we look for all the wrong things to fill our emptiness. Many girls dream of being married with a house and white picket fence to a young girl this is everything and the stereo type to having a full life. The reality is that they are hopes and dreams for relationship but for many women relationships have left us empty feeling like the Samaritan woman at the well, still thirsty fetching for something or someone to fill the empty and broken areas of our lives.

Two weeks ago I was complaining about a little bit of everything.  To sum it all up I was tired of being a single mother doing it all on my own. Every time I said the words “single mother” I immediately felt convicted. I didn't know why at the time but I was in my car driving one day and God said “I will feel your void with my love and peace".  It struck a note in my heart and I realized that I was denying God's love and care for me, how could I forget that He has my best interest and that I'm never alone. I was thinking so carnal about my problems I couldn't except the spiritual living water to fill that void in my life.

Jesus knew all about the Samaritan woman's life down to each man she was with and seen that it was a void deeper than what her actions were displaying.  There was a thirst that no man could fill but himself. Jesus answered, everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.

God is the only one that can fill your void, whether it's losing a love one or wanting a companion. The living water satisfies your thirst - it's never temporary.