Preparation

Hello readers!

Over the Christmas break, Taleisha and Meggie are tied up with preparations for this season. We will be posting again in January, with our first topic being Gods Word... relating to the 52 weeks, 52 verses challenge.

Stay tuned though, Meggie will post every now and again with Christmas on her mind.
Merry Christmas!
Taleisha and Meggie.

52 weeks, 52 verses

Starting on the 1^st of January, Taleisha and I are going to be embarking on a quest. Perhaps not the storybook quest you are thinking of… but hopefully just as fun and testing.

We are going to, if the Lord wills it, unleash our swords, swords of Gods Word.
For every week of 2012, we are going to be memorizing one verse of scripture and revisit the verses we have already learned. Now, I don’t know about you, but I think it is more than easy to memorize a verse… a week. Memorizing the bible is something I have always known that I must do, and should get around to doing it, but I never have. There have been heaps of times were I have tried to commit to memorization, but it doesn’t come easy for me, so I am really excited about this. Just imagine, by Christmas next year, I’ll have 52 verses up my sleeve to wield. How cool is that?

So I am blowing the battle horn calling all your girls off to come and join Taleisha and I in this.
Come and join the battle.
You don’t know you can’t do it unless you try.


52 weeks, 52 verses

Starting 1^st of January 2012
memorizing one verse of scripture per week of 2012
= 52 verses stored in your memory.


~ Meggie and Taleisha



http://www.livingfaithministriesintl.org/lfian.html

A recap on Prayer...

Over the last 7 weeks we have covered different aspects of prayer and discussed why they are important. So here’s a quick recap of what we shared with our readers and followers.

Week One – ‘Short Prayer, Heartfelt’.

The Lord’s Prayer is simple and straight forward, a perfect model of prayer. This is how Jesus prayed. It is how we should pray also. God doesn’t want to hear a prayer with lots of big words that scholars enjoy (and only scholars understand!). He wants your prayer. How you speak from what’s in your heart. How you would speak to any friend. We don’t have to use it word for word every single time we pray. It is a guideline, something to go off. (The Lord’s Prayer - Matthew 6:9-13.)

Week 2 - ‘Yelling out at the top of your lungs’.

Yelling out at the top of your lungs is about being open with God. Letting Him know how you really truly feel inside. When times are tough, we can call out to God, with open hearts and tears down our faces. It’s a heartfelt prayer. Letting Him know the deepest desires of your heart. You want this person healed of their disease, you don’t want to move away, you want your friend out of a troublesome situation. Cry out to God. He wants us too.

Week 3 – ‘The Power of Persistent Prayer”’.

Persistence means never giving up. Going on and on while a glimmer of hope dares to show itself. When your heart truly desires something, pray persistently. Believe that your prayers will be answered. If you want something, would you really only ask once?  If it was something that you really wanted to happen, I’m sure you would ask more than once, and bring it before God in prayer.  But at the same time, we have to listen for God’s answer, even if it’s not what we wanted to hear.

Week 4 - ‘Never Say Die’.

When you haven’t heard Gods answer yet, and you have hope that He will yet answer your prayer, keep praying. If you keep praying God says He will come through for you. Luke 11:5-10 says, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” But be honest with yourself and God. When God says, “No”, to your pleading, respect and fear Him by putting it to rest. There is a time to for persistent praying and a time for laying it to rest.

Week 5 – ‘Praying For One Another’.

Intercession means to pray on behalf of someone else. This post was pointing out the importance of lifting other up in prayer. The bible instructs us to pray for others. Even specific people like others, our Kings and Leaders worldwide, for the lost to be saved, the world to be touched, missionaries, workers to be sent, our churches and their leaders, Christians, the sick, family, friends, work and school associates.

Week 6 – ‘Uhhhh...sorry’.

Praying for forgiveness. When we feel our guilt, we need to confess it to Him without holding anything back and moaning with tears that you will be forgiven. Know that when you confess and ask for forgiveness that you ARE forgiven, for He has already paid the penalty. He cannot re-do histroy, for those that are saved all our past, present and future sins were killed at the foot of the cross before you were even born. You are forgiven.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He moved our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103: 12

Week 7 – ‘Why is giving thanks important?’

Praying is not just about me, my problems, other peoples problems and the like. You dont just discuss the stuff your going through with your friends, you move on. Thank God for what He has done. Stop telling God how big the storm is and tell the storm how big your God is. Start noticing the little things that bless you throughout your day that you can thank God for. The sun, a persistently scented flower waving to catch your attention, a hug from a friend, a surprise email or phone call, a word of encouragment, a smile from a little baby.

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

- 1 Chronicles 16:34

It not only will lift your spirits, it will help you feel Gods presence and me more in tune with Him.

These are just snippets of what the articles were about. If you would like to learn or see more, feel free to read the article.

Why is giving thanks important?

So this weeks question is... 'Why is it important to give thanks?'.

How many times have we asked for new things like: the cute pair of shoes you saw on Saturday, getting your hair done, sleeping over your friends house or having them stay at your place, that really cute puppy you saw in the shop window, going to a birthday party, going to see the lastest movie etc. The list is endless. As humans we almost always want something. Cases vary, but when you get an item, are you genuinely grateful for it? Or does your mind skip to the next thing on your list that you want?

In the same way, when we ask God to help us with a maths test, or to protect a certain person in a certain situation, or to heal someone of an illness or whatever it is, do we really, truly acknowledge and be thankful that He answered our prayer? Or does it go straight over our heads?

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

- 1 Chronicles 16:34

Now, I want you to be completely, 100 percent honest with yourself. Think of something that you have asked from either God or your parents this week. Did you get what you asked for? If you did, did you say thank you for it?
Unfortunately, when we ask for something and we receive it we do say thanks, but we don't always wholeheartedly mean it. God can see our hearts so there is really no point in trying to pretend.

What about when you ask for something and the answer is "No", or you don't get it? Are you thankful then?  It's hard to be thankful when we don't get what we want, that's part of our human nature. But how do we know that by not getting our own way, we have been saved from a bad situation. Imagine if you went to that party and it got out of control, there was drinking and fighting and people got hurt.  Wasn't it better that your parents said no and you weren't mixed up in that kind of scene. And when God seems to say "No" to something that we have asked for, it is most likely because that is NOT what is best for us! So shouldn't we be thankful in that. God wants what is best for us - always!

Again I am going to ask you to do something. Right here, right now. Think of 3 things that you are grateful for that you usually take for granted everyday. You could be thankful for your home - that you have one. For your relationships - thank God for your friends and family, again that you have them. What ever it is, take the next few moments just to say a quick prayer, letting God know what you're thankful for today. And maybe later on you might want to thank your parents for something, or your sister or brother.

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!"- 1 Chronicles 16:8

Even when things are looking really tough for us, we always, always, always have something to be thankful for. Families, friends, His protection, His provision, His love, our homes, our health, food, education, but above all, we can be thankful that Jesus died on the cross for US, for me and for YOU!
This week I am particularly grateful for forgiveness. Without Jesus' death and resurrection we would have nothing, we would be condemned to death. But because Jesus died in our place, we don't have to be burdened down by our sins, because He is the burden bearer. And by God's grace we can be forgiven, and one day enter the gates of heaven.


Helpful Hint:
If you're finding it hard to find something to be grateful for, switch on some Christian music. The lyrics my identify what it is you are thankful for, or maybe you will just ppreciate the music ad be thankful for that.

Personally for me, these last few weeks I have tried praying more often. But not praying for selfish things but being thankful. Instead of looking at the downside of things, look at the positive. It really does help and gives you a happy sensation. I found that by lifting up the things that I am thankful for, I keep finding more and more things to be thankful for. Maybe you could give it a try. Try to see the good out ouf a 'bad' situation.

God bless,

~ Taleisha & Meggie

Uhhhh....sorry.

 

Ever felt that nerve-racking pressure around your heart that won’t go away and keeps whispering, ‘you’ve done something wrong’ without letting up?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, - Romans 3:23

We are not pure like God, and our human nature is, to mess up. Not just once, but again… and again; and when we finally think we have it down pat, and then we mess up again. That’s when we turn to prayer, and ask God to forgive us.

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, 

But the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. – Proverbs 28:13

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – Romans 1:9

When we are aware of sin in our lives we need to confess it to God. Don’t try to ‘conceal’ or hide it from Him, but tell Him all about it.

Confession – The acknowledgement of a crime, fault or something to ones disadvantage; open declaration of guilt, failure, debt, accusation, etc. ( from American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster).

Come before Him moaning over your sin. Don’t just be sorry in words, but be distraught! Don’t be: “God I did this, please forgive me, thanks for that!” Be honest and truthful.
If we feel guilt from a sin, we would tell God of it (confess) and then we would ask for His forgiveness. In Romans 1:9 (above) it says that He will be loyal and forgive us- then He says something amazing.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. – Romans 1:9

The sin we're struggling with- He will help us to overcome that sin, meaning almighty help not to snap back at your sister the next time exams don’t go to well. He will purify us from ALL unrighteousness, ALL sin. When we become Christians and we confess with tears to God our failings, He not only forgives us, but teaches us how to do right, and slowly, we overcome (to an extent, we're still human) the unrighteousness in us. That’s sanctification. (Big word I know- go look it up if you want to).

Heart Check
Are you truly sorry about your sin? If you don’t feel like you are, why not tell God? He has the answer for every question. Ask Him about it, ask Him to show you the sin that is in your heart. Ask Him to show you what you really look like deep down inside. Don’t worry about it, were all on a journey… we all need to learn these things!

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He moved our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103: 12

Just a quick thought… because we are under the new covenant and we no longer have to sacrifice animals to be forgiven (because Jesus did the one for all sacrifice for our sin) for those that are Christian's, Jesus made one sacrifice for every believer, so you are forgiven of your past sins, present and future sins! So, when you ask for forgiveness, know that you are forgiven, and God looks upon you and doesn’t see your faults. Jesus already made the sacrifice, you are forgiven.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law (the old covenant) but under grace (the new covenant)? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? – Romans 6:15-16

If God forgives you, should you not also forgive others?

~ Taleisha and Meggie

Praying For One Another

This week is, again, a continuation on prayer. More specifically about intercession.

What is intercession? Intercession can be defined as a prayer to God on behalf of other people or another person. The Bible speaks of the importance of praying for others.

James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

Scripture also tells us that when two or more are gathered, God is there. There are so many uplifting verse that are associated with prayer. One of the being Matthew 21:22 - "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Pretend you are a person living in absolute poverty and you don't know God or haven't had the chance to know Him. If people didn't intercede for you, will you ever get the chance to learn about Christ Jesus?
We need to lift up and intercede for others so that they can learn of Christ's existance and what He did for them and the world. We need to pray that people living in poor circumstances will get the opportunity to hear His teachings. Whether that's by missionaries coming to share with them, people sponsoring them or one of the other many ways, it's up to us, as their spiritual sisters to pray for that opportunity to show itself to them, that they will hold on to it, that they may be saved as well.

We all know that Satan's ultimate plan is to keep people away from hearing the Good News. And for those who already know Him, try to fill our lives with so many distractions that we don't have time for God. But consistant prayer disrupts Satan's plans!

"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

Prayer is the greatest form of worship. God loves that intimacy of it and with the devil is 'prowling around looking for someone to devour', we need to protect ourselves and others in prayer. Pray that we won't be weak but that we can stand strong in the Lord. That the enemy can find no place to get a good hold on someone. When there are multitudes of people praying, there is nothing more that Satan hates. So when we pray in groups for others, at youth group, school or church, we are not only blessing them, but protecting them from the devil's horrible plans.

There are so many different ways we can pray. Prayer is vital to the soul of a believer. So never feel discouraged, like God doesn't hear your prayers. He hears every prayer, even the whispered ones. So we encourage you to pray for one another. When we pray we often pray for our family and friends, without really thinking of it as intercession. Below are some things that the Bible is specific on praying for.

The Bible says to pray for...
- One another (Eshesians 6:18, John 17:15).
- Kings and Leaders worldwide (1 Timothy 2:2).
- Those in position of autority ( 1 Timothy 2:1-4).
- The lost to be saved (Romans 10:1, 2 Peter 3:9).
- The world to be touched (Psalm 2:8).
- Missionaries (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
- Workers to be sent (Matthew 9:37-38).
- Our pastors and leaders (1 Thessalonians 5:25).
- New Christians (Philippians 1:11,Acts 11:26, Acts 14:22).
- The sick (James 5:14-15).
- Family, friends, work or school associates (John 1:41-42).

God Bless.
~ Taleisha & Meggie

Never Say Die

And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves ; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks reveieves, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  – Luke 11: 5-10

What is persistence? In the MacArthur Study Bible (on the commentary on Luke 11:8) it says: The word can even me “impudence.” It conveys the ideas of urgency, audacity, earnestness, boldness, and relentlessness- like the persistent asking of a desperate beggar.  (Bold mine).
Otherwise, persistence means never giving up, going on and on while a glimmer of hope dares to show itself. It means when you haven’t heard Gods answer yet, and you have hope that He will yet answer prayer that you keep going. If you want to see something happen, are you only going to ask once?

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ (a.k.a. enemy) And he would not for awhile; but afterward he said within himself, ‘though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ “
Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge his own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? – Luke 18: 1- 7

So there is this judge, he is downright evil and doesn’t care for anyone. A widow comes to him begging for justice to be done in her circumstance. He ignores her, but she keeps coming back and begging him. He keeps on ignoring her but she becomes so annoying that he finally accepts and does it, just to get rid of her.
The point is, if our Father in heaven loves us, will He not do it way before the judge did? Wont God do a better job? If you keep at your praying, God says He will come through for you.

Heart Check.

Be honest with yourself and God. When God says, “No”, to your pleading, respect and fear Him by putting it to rest. There is a time to for persistent praying and a time for laying it to rest.

Next time your praying remember to keep praying throughout the day for the thing you would have God do for you, and by the weeks’ end if you have not heard from Him, keep on with your persistence, don’t give up! Keep on with your pleading and crying out, if He does not answer you straight away, keep on at it, don’t quit.

~ Meggie and Taleisha

The Power of Persistent Prayer

Hello Readers! We hope and pray that whoever is reading this, will be blessed and/or helped in whatever situation they are in at the present time. 



And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves ; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  – Luke 11: 5-10

What is persistence? In the MacArthur Study Bible (on the commentary on Luke 11:8) it says: The Word can even mean “impudence”. It conveys the ideas of urgency, audacity, earnestness, boldness, and relentlessness- like the persistent asking of a desperate beggar.  (Bold mine).

Otherwise, persistence means never giving up, going on and on while a glimmer of hope dares to show itself. It means when you haven’t heard Gods answer yet, and you have hope that He will yet answer prayer, that you keep going. If you want to see something happen, are you only going to ask once?

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ (a.k.a. enemy) And he would not for awhile; but afterward he said within himself, ‘though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ “

Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge his own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? – Luke 18: 1- 7

So there is this judge, he is downright evil and doesn’t care for anyone. A widow comes to him begging for justice to be done in her circumstance. He ignores her, but she keeps coming back and begging him. He keeps on ignoring her but she becomes so annoying that he finally accepts and does it, just to get rid of her.

The point is, if our Father in heaven loves us, will He not do it way before the judge did? Won’t God do a better job? If you keep at your praying, God says He will come through for you.

Heart Check.
Be honest with yourself and God. When God says, “No”, to your pleading, respect and fear Him by putting it to rest. There is a time to for persistent praying and a time for laying it to rest.

Next time you’re praying remember to keep praying throughout the day for the thing you would have God do for you, and by the week’s end if you have not heard from Him, keep on with your persistence, don’t give up! Keep on with your pleading and crying out, if He does not answer you straight away, keep on at it, don’t quit. But remember that God always answers us. Sometimes He says "Yes", sometimes He says "No", and other times He says "Not yet." While it's good to pray, it's also just as important to listen. Listen to God throughout your week, and seek for what He is trying to get through to you.

God Bless.

~ Taleisha & Meggie

Yelling Out at the Top of Your Lungs!

O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name! – Daniel 9:19
My heart was almost wrenching out of me. Two girls, really great friends of mine don’t have God as their Lord, and I wanted them to know God.
Then I went out on a limb, and invited them to youth group (almost biting my fingernails the whole way!) When they didn’t give a yes (or no!) answer, I sat and prayed…and prayed…

And prayed.

Have you ever felt like you wanted something to happen, so hard, that you just couldn’t stop praying, begging God to let it happen?

Pleading isn’t just quietly asking God: “Hey, if you could I’d love to see this happen.” No, it’s when you’re at your wits end, you’ve worked out that it will take a miracle to change the situation or get the thing you want. When you want something so hard, that’s when you are down on your knees, literally screaming: ‘God come and do this!!’
We must go for a blessing, and not be satisfied till we have it, like the hunter, who is not satisfied because he has run so many miles, but is never content till he takes his prey. – Charles Spurgeon.
Crying out is the same as pleading, but is deeper. When a friend gets into trouble, when a family member is close to death, times when we just want find the nearest cliff and jump off it; times when tears come more often than eating, when from the depths of your soul you sob out- your hearts hurts.
Return, O Lord, deliver me!
Oh, save me from for Your mercies’ sake!
For in death there is no remembrance of You;
In the grave who will give You thanks?
I am weary with my groaning;
All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with tears.
My eye wastes away because of grief;
It grows old because of all my enemies. – Psalm 6:4-7

Don’t hold back the tears. Tell God all; yell out at the top of your lungs what you want turned right. Cry out to God for a miracle; cry out for God to save you!
Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. – Job 7:11
That week, I pleaded with God, I argued, asked, cried out to Him. Please God, have mercy, they need you so much. If they could come to youth group, and hear Your words and experience worship, maybe then they will be saved.
Our God is a miracle-working God. That Friday Night… they came to youth group
(And I have to wonder, if it was Gods plan to use this to teach me how to cry out, because they haven’t been back to youth group since…:D )

Heart Check…
But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
– Jonah 3:8
Be aware, that you need to come with a clean heart to God. Sin blocks prayer, so matter how hard you plead, if you are still sinning and ignoring God as He is trying to point you in the right direction, your prayer will be blocked. Listen to God, chuck Satan behind you and pray.

If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear. – Psalm 66:18

Next time you pray, try crying out to God and pleading with Him for those things that pull your heart strings. Come before Him, don’t give up. And give yourself a heart check to make sure that your listening out for Gods commands and keeping sin locked up in the closet.

Have a great week! – Taleisha and Meggie




　

Short Prayer, Heart-felt

Hi girls,

The next topic we are going to be doing is prayer. Praying persistently, pleadingly, Arguing in prayer, and Praying for forgiveness, intercession, petition and thanksgiving are some of the topics we are going to be sharing about. (Don’t get scared by all the long words! :D) This week were going to look at the Lord’s prayer, next week will be ‘Praying Persistently” (meaning: not giving up when you pray).

A Modal for all Prayer – Matthew 6:5-15

In this manner therefore pray:
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. – Matthew 6:9-13

I know you have probably heard this prayer heaps of times before, but bear with me and open your eyes to this treasure. Do you see how simple it is? It doesn’t say: Our majestic, triune Father in the wonderful realm of angels in heaven. No it simply says: Our Father in Heaven. God doesn’t want flowery prayers full of many words. He doesn’t want to hear a lovely oratory prayer that scholars enjoy (and only scholars understand!). He wants your prayer. How you speak.
“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think they will be heard for their many words.” – Matthew 6: 7
I once was praying with one of my friends, and when I had finished I opened her eyes and found her crying. I asked her what was wrong. “You pray so beautifully, I can’t pray at all.”
I tried to tell her, but she couldn’t see that He would have preferred her prayer over my own. Because hers was real, it was from the heart, it was full of mistakes and normal words. Nothing flowery and many unconnected thoughts. I realized that day how much I have to learn not to pray ‘with many words’, but normally.

Why not be distinct, and say what we mean as well as mean what we say?...Ask for it plainly, as before God, who does not regard your fine expressions, and to whom your eloquence and oratory will be less than nothing and vanity. You are before the LORD; let your words be few, but let your heart be fervent. – Spurgeon’s Sermons on Prayer, Order and Argument in Prayer.

Take a look at the Lord’s Prayer again. Notice it starts with God, praising Him and submitting to Him. My pastor once said: ‘Thanksgiving is the doorway to Gods presence’ If you want to be with God, give thanks with a grateful heart.
Then it says “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” - Its saying: Lord, everything I am about to say and ask, only let what you want to be done. Your will be done. No matter how much I would like this, no matter what I would rather, or see as logical- let your plan be done.

Then comes three demands; it doesn’t just say: Lord, if you could, would you give us our daily bread? If it doesn’t match up with Your will- that’s okay. No- demand of God, you have submitted to His will, ask what you would have and believe.
“Whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing you shall receive.” – Matthew 21:22
Give us our daily bread. And forgives us…

It ends again with praise to God and acknowledgement to His name. Don’t let your prayers be: “Dear God, please give me a new IPod, Amen.” Remember to praise God and submit to what He wants… He is only, well, the King of the universe after all! J

When you pray, don’t use flowery language and lots of words. Pray it like it is. Praise God throughout; don’t leave a paragraph without thanking Him for what He has already given. And ask with confidence, don’t be feeble about it- expect that God will answer!

~ Taleisha and Meggie

You Are Beautiful

It only takes a moment to listen to this song that could help you.
It is family-friendly, and a lovely Christian song.



Blessings,
Meggie and Taleisha

How to boost your self-esteem?

 Hello to all readers!!

For the last 2 weeks Meggie and I have discussed and expanded on what self-esteem is and how to use God's love as a weapon against it. So to complete our topic of Self Esteem, we are going to give you some tips on how to conquer and rid yourself of low self-esteem, using quotes, experiences and the Bible.


Tip Number One:
Pray. Pray that God will be with you in this. That He will help you overcome your feeling of low self worth. Really pray on it. It's important to take this as your first step. You don't want to be on the way to a healthy self esteem and half-way through the process discover you haven't even included God on your journey.

"So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer." - Ezra 8:23

We don't literally have to fast but we should petition God. Fasting is a great way to get closer to God and learn how to hear Him better and develop a relationship on a new level. While we don't have to, it is good to show God that you trust Him completely. It's mainly done in very serious times of trouble and waiting on God, and other times as well. We should constantly be praying to Him. If you want God to do something for you, you need to not just ask for it once but to come repeatedly before Him. It is bad to have the wrong motives behind your prayers, like greed. God ALWAYS answers our prayers. Sometime He says yes, other times no, and at other times He's just saying wait.

Other verses regarding prayer:
"The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous." - Proverbs 15:29

^"Jesus replied, 'Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, "Go, throw yourself into the sea," and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.' " - Matthew 21:21-23


Tip Number Two:
Commit. Don't let that little voice inside your head get the best of you. On your new journey of becoming a bold, courageous young woman of God, you will be faced with temptations. But only you can overcome them, and with the help of God you will, but you have to be committed. You have to commit to not letting any discouraging thoughts convince you that you aren't as beautiful as someone else is.

Verses regarding being bold and courageous:
"David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished." - 1 Chronicles 28:20

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” - Deuteronomy 31:8


Tip Number Three:
Block out negative comments and thoughts. Don't listen to what magazines, radios, televisions, and anything else tell you. You can get through this. To help you, it's important to not listen to what the world today thinks. Because it's not what the bible teaches. Part of step 2 is being bold and courageous, and it's very true. If bad comments come your way, discrediting what people say won't be easy. That's where God comes in. Remember He is on this journey with you and He's by your side every step of the way. Be confident and believe that you can do it.

Verses about self confidence:
"Such confidence we have through Christ before God." - 2 Corinthians 3:4

"I am glad I can have complete confidence in you." - 2 Corinthians 7:16

Tip Number Four:
Surround yourself with friends that will support and encourage you, as well as have the same morals and goals as you. You will be surprised at how much this will influence you. You will feel better and your confidence in yourself will be strengthened. Hanging around with a crowd that you have to go out of your way to please, isn't a worth it one. Try to lather yourself in the Holy Spirit and with friends, or family that will uphold you, respect you and encourage you.

Related Verses:
"The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." - Proverbs 12:26


Remember girls that every single one of you reading this article, are beautiful, inside and out, and you are most definitely worth it. Don't let people convince you otherwise. I hope that these tips will be encouraging and helpful for people trying or wanting to conquer a low self-esteem. Every girl struggles with it at some stage, and now we are here to help you.

God bless you all,

~ Taleisha & Meggie

Using Gods Love as a Weapon

Hi Girls!

Well, I’ll be talking about how we can get rid of low self-esteem with Gods love.

Low self-esteem comes out of us looking for a real love, and finding we cannot attain it because we are not beautiful. But when we realise that Christ in Heaven loves us, and that we need to give up all thoughts of our own beauty, all thoughts of ourselves up to Him, and present ourselves as living sacrifices- that is when low self-esteem gets driven back, and the defeat of it begins. With Christs love we can all battle against it.

First of all, I think the best thing we can do to rid ourselves of low self-esteem is to fall in love with God, and follow after His service. Does it make sense that if we lose sight of ourselves, and keep our eyes focused on God (and His love!) that we won’t hear the worlds cry, ‘You're not beautiful’?

Think about it. A woman who has truly denied herself, taken up her cross, and become entirely consumed with Jesus Christ is not going to be an insecure young woman, starving herself and obsessed with making herself look more attractive. Rather, she is so enraptured with Jesus Christ that she’s completely lost sight of herself. As Bishop Bardsley put it, “They care not at all what the world thinks of them, because they are entirely taken up with the tremendous realities of their King.” – The Lost Art of True Beauty, Leslie Ludy.

If you don’t give up your whole life and lay everything at Christs feet, then you are not going get rid of your low self-esteem.

So here are some ways we can all break the hold low self esteem has on us. If you think there is anything else we can do to fall in love with God more, please let us know in the comments below!

Read the Bible. (I don’t mean flick open your bible and just read. Grab a concordance, there are heaps online, look up ‘love’ and read all the verses on love- just make sure that you read in context!) Here are a few Bible verses to start you off: James 2:10, Matthew 27:11-31, Luke 23:32-34; 40-43, Mark 15:33-39, 1 John 3:1, 4:10, Proverbs 10:12, 1 John 4:8, Ephesians 5:2. To do this myself I have started a journal where I write out these love verses so that if I ever forget God's love for such a wretch as I, then I can read and remember.

So how do we learn to yield to the Spirit instead of fulfilling the lusts of the flesh? It starts with simple, everyday decisions.
Often, it starts with your morning alarm clock. Do you yield to the beckoning whisper of Christ's Spirit asking you to get up and spend time with Him, or do you listen to your own selfish desire to stay in bed? – The Lost Art of True Beauty, Leslie Ludy

Go on a date with God – http://jenniferandkathryn.blogspot.com/2011/08/dating-jesus.html
Service. By service I mean getting out there and being God's hands and feet. Being the first to wash the dishes for Mum, taking cups of tea with grans, finding the homeless in your community and making meals for them, reaching out to the hurting- I think you would be surprised how helping others can help us.

She [a former prostitute] went to hospitals and washed the wounds of the injured. She went to homes for the elderly and brushed the matted hair of the residents. “It was serving others that healed her,” Jackie [Pullinger] said. This woman who had been so battered, bruised, and wounded chose to deny herself and pour out her life for the cause of Christ. – The Lost Art of True Beauty, Leslie Ludy (brackets are mine).

Read! – Have a look at the books I suggested reading in last week’s article. Here are some more reading material you can look into: What’s So Amazing about Grace? By Philip Yancey, Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris, Anything written by Charles Spurgeon or A. W. Tozer.
Poem - And He Walked
Article -  Dating Jesus.

I know this sounds easier than we all expected, but it isn’t as easy as it sounds. I hope this helps you all with trying to get low self-esteem under control. Taleisha will be posting with her hints and tips next week. If you have any hints and tips on getting rid of low self-esteem please share it with us in the comments!

"Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you." – 1 Samuel 12:24

~ Taleisha & Meggie

What is low self-esteem?

Hi everyone. I hope you enjoy our first article together.


What is low self-esteem? Why does it seem to ruin our lives? The question most girls ask and I find myself asking most of all is ‘how can we just get rid of it!?’ But (yep- there’s the but) perhaps if we all understood better what low self-esteem is, maybe we would know how to battle against it? You don’t go into battle blindly, without any idea of what you are fighting.

Because that is what low self-esteem is. It’s a battle, a battle that most girls lose.

Note: From my own personal experience, I have found this is the root of the problem of low self-esteem. There are so many angles you can take on it, and if you feel this post doesn’t answer every question you have- why not look into it? See the bottom of this post for further reading on this subject that will give you greater a understanding of all of the different angles.

Imagine this. Your walking through a shopping centre, and you see a group of absolutely stunning girls, photos pop up at every store of super-slim girls in the latest fashions that makes you wriggle inside. You look down out your own ratty hair, protruding stomach and your average t-shirt hanging about you, and you feel the instinct to run and lock yourself up - or go buy everything in sight hoping that it will make you look like them.

As your life goes on, you find more cosmetic solutions, different foundations, more boyfriends- all of which makes you feel so much better about yourself, you finally feel beautiful, cherished, loved and (dare I say it?) …accepted.

Wait a moment. Stop the tape. Have you ever felt content after painting your face up to look like the next top model? Have you ever felt pure, happy joy with a boyfriend who is going to ditch you next month for someone 'better'? Have you honestly ever felt perfectly happy with who you are?
Are you happy with your body?

When we sinned (think Adam and Eve), man no longer held the close, intimate relationship with God. What used to be a walk in the park with Him (literally) - was ruined because we were selfish. When man took the forbidden fruit we broke that intimacy that God offered. The more generations that passed, the further people parted from Him, but they felt incomplete, like they needed something more. They tried to fill that emptiness with something else. Unfortunately that is still the case today. Now we look for love from other people, we fight for acceptance by trying being the best, the most beautiful, the smartest, or the sportiest. It's a constant battle with ourselves, others and God. And it gets exhausting.

What we are all searching for in these things, our looks and possessions, became our priority and our idols. But we're never satisfied so we move on to the next thing. We should be looking for God, and trying to earn His love. We are looking for an earthly love in other everyday, sinful people. But the only thing that can fully complete us is the heavenly love of the Father.

Maybe this quote will help make these thoughts be a little more clearer:

“Even as a little girl, love and beauty, in my mind, were always braided together. I always wanted to be beautiful because I thought that would eventually bring me love. Yet as time passed, the more I compared myself to the beauty of others, the less I found myself measuring up. There are so many drop-dead gorgeous girls in the world, I knew I didn’t stand a chance.” – Uncompromising by Hannah Farver (pg. 51).

This is what makes me feel like I am not beautiful, because I am not loved in the way that fills me. This is what personally makes me feel low self-esteem. I want people to love me. That place in my heart throbs so bad to be loved and fulfilled, and I look at my body and see I have no chance. I want to hide under a thick layer of cosmetics, hoping that someone will notice me and love me, accept me. That’s what low self-esteem is. It's what we feel like when we think we're not beautiful enough… and we automatically come to the conclusion that we're not loved unless we are the prettiest and have the latest accessories. And we feel like we don't matter, like we are the girl in the gutter. But we are looking for love in the wrong place.

We search for a love that says:

"No matter what you look like, or what you have done I love you." (Proverbs 10:12)
"I will always love you." ( 1 Corinthians 13:8)
"Love means I would give my own life for you." (John 15:13)

Now lets get this straight. Sinners were the ones who put Christ on the cross. Who are we? We are all sinners, nobody's perfect. We were the ones who made a mockery of Him, who brought Him to His death. Our sins are what brought Him to the earth. We are so unworthy of His love, but He offers it to us anyway - it's ours if we choose to accept it. God chose to love us because He wants to love us. Do you want to love Him? The God who "...sent His one and only begotten that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life..."? (John 3:16)

“If we think Christ died just to say, “I love you,” we miss the big picture. There was a greater reason. He died , not because He couldn’t decide between giving chocolate, roses, or crucifixion to His beloved ones- but because we needed Him to die.” – Uncompromising, Hannah Farver, pg. 46.

I want to end on this quote below:

"Love yourself. Be true to yourself. Live to yourself. Some of these messages even go as far as to say that by living this way you will bring glory to God."

But what is the pattern of scripture? Christ said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me”. (Mark 8:34) The word deny literally tanslates: to forget one’s self, lose sight of one’s self and one’s own interests. We are meant to let all thoughts of self become swallowed up in Him. – The Lost Art of True Beauty, Leslie Ludy.

More Reading: Books - The Lost Art of True Beauty by Leslie Ludy (Chapter 2: Selfless Beauty), Uncompromising by Hannah Farver (Chapters 1-3), How to Ruin your Life by Forty by Steve Farrar (Chapter 5: Quite a Piece of Work).
Articles – Johnny Lingo’s Eight Cow Wife, and Distorted Beauty.
Other - Song: Beautiful by Bethany Dillon


Next weeks article: Low self-esteem comes out of us looking for a real love, and finding we cannot attain it because we feel we aren't beautiful. But when we realise that Christ in Heaven loves us, that we need to give up all thoughts of our own beauty, all thoughts of ourselves up to Him, and present ourselves as living sacrifices - that is when low self-esteem gets driven back, and the defeat of it begins. With Christs love we can battle against low self-esteem. 

If you have any questions, or don’t completely understand, please ask in the comments!


~Taleisha & Meggie

Setting the Scene

About Meggie.

Hi Everyone!
I am Meggie, and I am a sixteen year old homeschooled teen. I enjoy reading in amongst trees and lakes, writing (well, more narrowly, I enjoy writing stories, dabble in poetry, and quite enjoy writing articles!), jewellery making, and I don’t mind sewing (when it goes all right, that is!). I pray that as you read these posts that Taleisha and I are going to publish, that you will be blessed, be impacted by the glory of God, and come to know Him in a deeper way (than you ever thought you would!) .

About Taleisha.

Welcome to our blog. I am also a Christian homeschool teenager. I have 4 siblings, I love to draw and sketch, my mind is always thinking of absurd things, I love to sing and hope that God will use me through that someday. I love making friends, seeing people come to Christ, being an example, digging deep into the LORD's word. I know that in the past few years I have had many, many questions and doubts about myself, who I am, certain situations, God and so much more. My desire is to help other girls like me to make the right decisions when faced with a problem, to be courageous and stand up for their faith, to grow as sisters in Christ and develop an unshakable faith

Next week, we will officially start posting. Our first topic is going to be: Low Self-Esteem.

What is low self-esteem?  Why does it seem to take over our lives?
The question most girls ask, and what I find myself asking most of all, is ‘how can we get rid of it for good?!’
But (yep- there’s a but) perhaps if we all understood exactly what low self-esteem is, maybe we would know how to overcome it?
You don’t go into battle blindly, without any idea of what you are fighting. That's what low self-esteem is. It’s a battle, a battle that most girls lose. But we are going to help you win!

So, that is a glimpse of next week’s post, so don’t miss out on it. Subscribe (see sidebar) and have every article sent to your inbox. Until then, have a look through our site, and let us know what you think. If you would like to have your say in what topics we'll write about in the future, please vote on the poll (it’s on the sidebar also).

God Bless.