Attitude Archives - Page 2 of 3

Never Too Young.

December 14, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Friday! Hope you all have had a great week so far. I have been looking forward to this weekend for a while now, because The Hobbit is finally in theaters! Yay! I’m planning on going to see it sometime this weekend [let’s be honest—probably tonight], and I only hope it is as good of a bookà movie rendition as the Lord of the Rings films were. Fingers crossed! We also are going to put together the new grill my parents got us for Christmas [sadly, it came in a box], and hopefully have our first grilled-meal tomorrow:) Pretty excited to finally have another option for cooking burgers/chicken than the stovetop. Anyways, I read another one of my favorite verses this morning, and thought I would share it instead of the usual Friday Favorites…

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.”

1 Timothy 4:12

Just because we are young, doesn’t mean we don’t have important things to say. God can use anyone at any age with any experience level to accomplish his plans. What’s important is that we live our lives in a way that brings glory to him, and in doing so set an example for living to other believers [young or old] around us. We shouldn’t be afraid to fulfill the calling God has placed in our lives just because we’re young, or feel unqualified or inexperienced. With Christ working in and through us, we are more than qualified to accomplish any task he has for us.

This is something I have been struggling with lately, and definitely what I needed to read this morning. Just because I am young, doesn’t mean I can’t be used by God to do great things for his kingdom here on Earth. I don’t need to feel unqualified. I just need to keep on living in a way that brings glory to God, and continue to set a good example for those around me. God will accomplish his purposes through me in spite of my age and experience level.

Just some food for thought. Well, I hope you all have a great weekend! I’m off to go get a few things done before work. God Bless:)

Good Fruit; Bad Fruit

October 25, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hi all! Hope your day is going fabulously so far. Currently, I am watching Samson dive bomb off my desk in pursuit of my pen, which he keeps knocking to the floor. He is a strange one that is for sure. I’m just going to get right in to the meat of my reading this morning…

“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 the heart his mouth speaks.”

Luke 6:45

These are the words of Jesus in reference to the fruit produced in people’s lives. You see, we can try as hard as we want to make a good impression, and appear to be living a Christian lifestyle, but if our heart is not in the right place, our actions, words, and trues beliefs will not line up. What we truly believe to be true in our heart is what will eventually some out in our words and actions. If we truly want good things to come out, we must match that same goodness within.

Take a dying, rotting apple tree for example. No matter what anyone tells you, you can’t really expect that tree to produce apples that are fit for you to eat. It probably won’t produce any apples at all. In the same way, how can we expect our actions and words to be wholesome if our hearts are turned away from God? We can’t. You can’t expect to see good fruit in your life if your heart is not in alignment with God’s goodness.

Sometimes I think we try so hard to be perfect, and for everything we do to look just right. It’s exhausting. Especially when all we really need to do is take a look inside our own hearts and examine our motives for acting this way. How much easier would it be to live a life of love, peace and happiness if we first fixed our hearts, and shifted our focus towards God?

Just something that has been on my mind lately. Anyways, I’ll be back tomorrow with some Friday Favorites. Look for some changes and additions to be coming on [RE]volution YOU soon here, and keep the suggestions coming?

Have a great day, and God Bless!

Use It.

October 11, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Thursday!

Throughout the past couple of weeks, I have been reading the book of Matthew. One of the things I love about this book, along with the other gospels, is the large amount of parables included within.

One parable I read this morning was entitled, “The Parable of the Loaned Money”. In this parable, there is a master and his three servants. The master decides to go away one day, and leaves each of his servants with some money to invest with while he is away. The first servant receives 5 talents, the second 2, and the third 1. The first and second servant make use of the money while their master is away, and end up being able to double the amount they were originally given. The third servant however, takes the 1 talent he was given and hides it in the ground because he was afraid of what his master would do when he returned. When the master returned, he was very pleased with the first two servants, placing them in charge of much since they were faithful with the little that he gave them. But, when he found out what the third servant did, he became very angry. He punished him for not being a good steward of what was given him, and for hiding it away when he could have invested it and used it for gain.

“So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

Matthew 25:25

The cool thing about parables is that they can be related to real life circumstances. In this case, we are like those servants in the story, and God is the master. He gives each of us unique gifts, talents and abilities for a purpose—to use them in furthering his kingdom on Earth. His desire for us is to behave like the first two servants—using our talents for the greater good, and multiplying what has been entrusted to us. But, so often we behave like the third servant. We see the gifts and talents that we have, and instead of using them to glorify God, we use them for personal gain—or maybe we don’t even use them at all. We become selfish with our talents and abilities, and choose to ‘hide’ them from the kingdom of God. When we do this, we are not able to fulfill our true purpose and calling in life. Instead, we end up living a half-life—full of selfishness and bitterness. God has given each of us special and unique abilities for a reason. It’s our job to use them in ways that are glorifying to him, and assist in furthering his kingdom here on Earth.

What about you? Do you have a God-given talent that is being used only for personal gain? OR maybe you have a talent that isn’t being used at all. God wants to use you and your talents to further his kingdom, and reach the lost—are you ready and willing to let him in?

Hope you all are having a great week so far! God Bless:)

New Wineskins.

October 4, 2012 By: Sarah Leff2 Comments

Hello and happy Thursday! This week is really flying by…well actually the last month has really flown by. Is it seriously October already?? Craziness I tell you. Well, I’ll get right down to it. This morning I was reading in Matthew again, and came across this verse…

“Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Matthew 9:17

I love the way Jesus speaks to us using examples, parables and short stories—it makes his message very easy for me to relate to. Maybe it’s the writer in me, but I LOVE the way the gospels are written:) Here, Jesus is using wineskins to describe our lives, and the way in which we respond to his message.

The message of Christ is like new wine, while our sinful nature causes us to be like old wineskins. When we hear the message, our lives should be changed—significantly. Although we are not perfect, we should strive to live above sin, and flee from the evil desires of this world. However, if we go about living our lives in the same sinful ways, and don’t change our lifestyle, we are like new wine in old wineskins. We can’t contain the truth and the message inside our old sinful shell, so we burst. In order to accommodate the new wine, we need to become like new wineskins—strong, sturdy and able to receive and apply the message of Christ to our daily lives. In order to contain it, we need to make the necessary like or lifestyle changes so that our lives match up with the word and will of God. If we refuse to give up old sinful habits, we remain like old wineskins, and are unable to experience the joy, peace and purpose that comes from the new wine. Make the changes that are necessary; experience true freedom in Christ.

This is something that I have dealt with throughout the years. When I rededicated my life to Christ, I had to give up a lot of the old habits that kept me bound in sin. But, once I did, I was able to experience the true freedom found only in Christ and the “new wine”.

Is there anything in your life that is keeping you from experiencing this freedom? Let it go. I promise you, no matter how difficult it may seem to let go of; it will be worth it in the end.

Hope you all are having an excellent week so far! God Bless:)

Never Give Up.

October 3, 2012 By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

It’s another beautiful day here in Texas—I’m still missing my Michigan Fall quite a bit, but the sunshine is definitely nice:) We have an awesome deck/patio area in our new apartment, which I have been thoroughly enjoying at all times of day. Our location is quite close to the massive DFW Airport, but the constant planes flying overhead haven’t been too annoying—they are actually kind of soothing in a weird way, and are contributing to the little travel bug growing inside of me. I mean, how could you not think about traveling when you live underneath a flight path? Just saying. Anyways. I was reading again in Matthew this morning, and came across a favorite passage of mine…

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7-8

It’s comforting to know that when we diligently seek the Lord, and our wills line up with his own, he will grant us the desires of our hearts. However, a lot of people [myself included at times] never experience the desires of their heart. Why? Because they give up to easily. Have you ever asked God for something? I mean, really asked God for something? How persistent were you? So often we ask God for the desires of our hearts a few half-hearted times, only to be disappointed and give up when things don’t ‘magically’ turn your way. When you think about it, the word ‘seeking’ does not mean instant gratification. It means to search long and hard for something in order to receive or find it in the end. Our world is so fast. We thrive on speed, and on getting things done instantaneously. Unfortunately for our culturally programmed brains, God doesn’t always work instantaneously. In fact, some times he is downright slow in our mind. But, he always makes everything work out according to his perfect will and in his precise timing. We need to patiently seek his face, and ask him—with the right heart and motives—for the things we need. He will always be faithful to us when we are faithful to him. If things don’t change the way you want them to right away, keep asking and praying to God about them. Don’t give up—God always hears us. Sometimes it may take longer and require more faith than we had originally planned.

This is something I am learning more and more each day. Some times its hard to be patient—I just want everything to happen right when I ask. But, God is teaching me to be patient and wait upon his perfect timing. If this is something you struggle with as well, ask God today to help you in overcoming it.

Hope you are all having a great day! I’ll try and post some pictures of the area soon:)

Facing Your Fears.

August 1, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and happy Wednesday! It is a beautiful day here…the sun is out and everything looks so much greener after the rain we’ve finally been having. Love it. Anyways, today I thought I would deviate from my devotional journal and talk a little bit about something that has been on my heart lately. Fear. How many of you are afraid of something? You all better have said yes, because everyone everywhere is afraid of something at some time or another. Or, if your anything like me, you’re afraid of a lot of different things. Fear is a normal human feeling. We’re always going to feel it to some extent at certain times, but that doesn’t mean we have to LIVE in fear. Let me explain.

The Bible talks a lot about dealing with our fears. More specifically, it tells us not to fear. Here are a few that I found…

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalms 23:4

We don’t have to be afraid. Even when things seem unbearable and terrifying, there is no need to fear because God is with us. Fear does nothing for us except to make us afraid. It doesn’t strengthen us or help us in anyway. I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s really quite useless to fear because no matter how fearful we become, we are unable to improve our fear filled situations on our own. We have to rely on God to come along side us and protect us from our fears.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

God is always with us. He will not leave us or forsake us. Ever. Remember, God is bigger than anything we could possibly be afraid of. He is bigger than our fears. And he isn’t going anywhere. Even when we feel overwhelmed by fear, he is with us. We don’t have to fear anything, because he is all powerful.

“For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

Isaiah 41:13

God is our helper. When fear begins to creep into our lives, we need to turn to God for help. He won’t let us fall.

“There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

1 John 4:18

John says it best—there is no fear in love. Choose to love instead of fear. Choose to look your fears straight in the face, and choose not to be afraid. You can’t reach your full potential in Christ if you are living a life of fear. The devil knows this, and he tries his hardest to keep it that way. He wants us to live in fear, because that is when we are weakest. He prefers us to be cowardly and fearful instead of strong and courageous. He would rather have us live in fear than to live in love. It may seem easy to give into fear, but it’s important that we resist the temptation. Don’t give into the lies of the devil that would keep you living in fear your whole life. Choose to trust God and live in his perfect love and peace. Choose to be strong and courageous, and to break out of the darkness.

Are you living in fear? Be strong and courageous. Choose today to trust in God, and to live a life of love instead of fear.

God BlessJ

Stronger.

July 30, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend….I was at a wedding in Detroit with my husband’s family, and it was beautifulJ I’ll try and post some pictures later. Also on the agenda last weekend was watching the OLYMPICS! I seriously love them so much. Every year I get way too excited about them, and usually end up watching the action every night they are on! Die hard fan right here. I got to watch some of the equestrian cross country jumping this morning, which is what I used to do (well—not at the Olympic level haha). It was so awesome!

On a different note, I wanted to go back and take a look at a verse from Proverbs that I read a few weeks back…

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.”

Proverbs 17:3

Sometimes I wonder why we have to go through certain things. Wouldn’t life be much simpler if it were easy and carefree all the time? Wouldn’t it be easier if we didn’t have trials or struggles to deal with? It might sound easier, but in the long run those trials make us into the people God has called us to be. Just as the furnace is used to refine gold, so God uses trials in our lives to refine US and make us SHINE.

Think about it like this. Say you’re an athlete, and you REALLY want to go to the Olympics in your sport of choice. If you won all the time, and never had anything bad happen to you, would you truly be able to appreciate that moment when you finally made it? Not having any trials along the way may sound like the easiest and best choice, but in the end it won’t mean as much. I’m sure you’ve heard some of the remarkable Olympic comeback stories—how certain athletes will seriously injure themselves, think they won’t be able to complete again, decide not to give up, and then end up winning the gold medal. It’s the challenges that make us stronger.

God challenges us in the same way—to make us stronger. If there is something you are struggling with, or there’s a trial in your life that seems impossible to overcome, don’t give up. Keep on fighting. Keep on pressing on. In the end you will be a stronger person, and have a stronger faith, because of it.

Hope you are all having a great week so farJ God Bless!

Timing is Everything

July 23, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and happy Monday! James and I were away over the weekend visiting friends and family in Michigan, but I’m back now. It was a great fun-filled weekend, but I’m glad to be back home. Bonus—it RAINED this morning! Yes. I love rainy days anyways, but things have been so dry around here lately that I loved it even more this morningJ

On another note, I finished Proverbs over the weekend. I may come back to it in the future for journaling, but for now I’m onto Ecclesiastes. Now, when I think of Ecclesiastes, the first emotion that comes to mind is…depressing. Now I know that’s not the case, but when a book starts out saying “everything is meaningless,” it kind of puts a damper on your mood. Good news is, I’ve decided to change my mentality about Ecclesiastes. I’m going to try my hardest to look past the somewhat depressing verses, and pray for God to show me what he really wants me to get out of it. That being said, one verse that stuck out to me today as I was reading was this-

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

The next few verses go on to describe different seasons in life, and how there is indeed a time for everything. I’ve read this verse before. In fact, I’m pretty sure I had this passage memorized at one point in my junior high career. However, reading it again caused me to look at it in a different light. You see, the verse isn’t just talking about how there is a time to be happy, sad, embrace, refrain, what have you—It’s deeper than that. The underlying theme here is God’s perfect timing. There is a time and a season for everything in our lives yes, but it is always WITHIN God’s perfect timing.

“The secret to peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God’s perfect timing.” (footnotes)

I’ve talked a lot about finding God’s plan and purpose for our lives, but finding, accepting, and living within His perfect timing is just as important. We may have an idea of what he wants us to do, but until we know that it is the right timing, it’s better to wait for him to speak. And he will speak. We just need to be listening.

His timing may not always make a lot of sense to us, especially at the time. It may even confuse and frustrate us. But, it’s important not to doubt that his timing is perfect, while relying on our own timing instead. Our timing is never perfect, and it will usually lead us to places God never intended us to go. Trust in his timing always—even when it doesn’t make sense. Because in the end, he knows what’s best, and he has a plan for our lives—we just have to patiently wait for his perfect timing.

Lord, help to accept that your timing is perfect, even when I don’t fully understand it at the time. I’m sorry for relying on my own timing more than yours again and again. Forgive me. Help me to live within your perfect timing each and every day. Amen.

Heart Motives.

July 20, 2012 By: Sarah Leff2 Comments

We finally got some RAIN!!! It’s been a beautiful gloomy rain-filled day over here, and I am totally LOVING it. We seriously needed it so badly. Thank you Lord for sending the rain!

In other words, Proverbs is still proving to be interesting…and insightful. One verse that stuck out to me today was this…

“All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.”

Proverbs 21:2

“People can find an excuse for doing almost anything, but God looks behind the excuses to the motives of the heart.” Now that’s a reality check right there. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve talked a lot about finding and fulfilling our purpose, and how it is so important to follow God’s plan for our lives…not necessarily our own. Well, this verse just seems to fit right in.

For me, it was a reminder to check my motives when deciding to do something. I’m not talking about the small things like deciding what to eat or what to wear, but deciding something big—like a life changing decision. Is it something that God wants me to do, or is it something that I personally want to do, and conveniently talk myself into believing that it’s also something God wants for me. Does that make sense?

When faced with tough choices and decisions, it’s easy to gravitate towards the choice that best suits our personal needs…or at least what we think to be our personal needs. But is that choice really the best decision when placed in the larger context of our lives? Only God knows that. Sometimes the right decision may not seem like the easiest one. In fact, it may be the most difficult. It may seem crazy. Absurd. And it may not make a lot of sense at the time. But, it’s important that we trust where the Lord is leading us…even if everyone around us it telling us otherwise. When we choose to trust him and make our decisions with the right motives in mind, everything will be okay. It may not seem like it at the time, but I promise you it will. God knows your heart, and he knows why you choose to do what you do with your life. Focus on directing your heart towards him, and carefully pray about your important decisions with an unbiased mind. Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone a little. Because in the end, the decisions you make with a heart, mind and spirit focused on God will always be the right ones.

Hope you all are having a fabulous eveningJ God Bless!

Practice, Practice, Practice.

July 19, 2012 By: Sarah Leffcomment

So I feel like I’ve definitely been on a ‘finding your purpose’ theme lately. It’s strange, but as I read my Bible each day, those are always the verses that pop out to me. I imagine this is because God is trying to teach me something, and I am hoping that this is a topic you all are feeling the same way about…because that’s what I’m going to be talking about. Again. It’s funny how God will highlight certain verses in certain seasons of our lives. I guess this season for me (and hopefully for many of you as well) is about finding purpose in life.

That being said, one of the verses that stuck out to me in Proverbs today was this…

“The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.”

Proverbs 21:31

It took me a little bit to figure this one out. At first I almost skimmed over it, thinking that it just had to do with war or preparing for a literal battle. I don’t think this is what the verse is implying though. You see, God has a unique plan and purpose for each one of our lives. Now, we can plan all we want on our own, but our efforts are useless without God. That being said, we are not completely off the hook. We can’t just sit around and wait for God to do something miraculous in our lives. It just won’t happen that way.

Think of it like this. Say you are a really amazing basketball player, and it is your ultimate dream to be in the NBA. You can sit around a dream about it all you want, but that’s not what is going to help you obtain your goals. Practice, and a LOT of preparation is what’s going to get you there. It’s the same thing with God and following his plan for our lives. He has a specific plan and purpose for us, but we have to do our part in preparing for that plan in order for it to be completed. God may have called you to be a powerful worship leader, but you’re going to have to learn how to sing and probably play the piano first. If you don’t, you won’t end up fulfilling God’s call in your life. It’s that simple. God will accomplish his purposes through us if we are willing to do our part and become well prepared for doing his work.

Is there something that you feel God calling you to do? If so, what sort of things can you do to become well prepared for the task? Or maybe you don’t feel called to anything in particular. It’s okay. Seek God in prayer and ask him. He will show you want you need to do.

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