brittanyparrella's posterous

the reality of God..

Often, I start thinking about some things that I think are profound or important. And I'll get distracted and totally forget what I was thinking. So I Decided to just write it all out, right away. 

Well I was just listening to a song about God's love and returning to my first love. I forget how real God is, I know he's real, but the reality of Him, and His influence in my life and how powerful and important He is....I just forget it all. It doesn't affect me the way it should. I let my own reality consume me, I let my worries consume me, I let my distractions and little tasks consume me. And I get even more worried that its not going to work out. 

But at the end of it all, all my worries are just to keep my self in the cycle of everyday life: eating, sleeping, work, transportation, school, money, getting those things done. And I want God to be in the center...Since He is the reason for my existance. He is the reason why I am alive, I'm not alive to worry my whole life. I'm not alive to be a people-pleaser (especially when they don't truly care about me anyhow). I want to please and love the one who truly cares about me. The one who knows me, and in reality does see every issue. 

And so like I said I forget the reailty of God. And the reality of who He is, and who He is in my life. I was listening to this song, and just the song alone assured my heart that He is really real, and that He is right there waiting for me. The song was recorded in a place of 24/7 worship. That alone can remind me that God is who He says He is. People giving up life as usual, giving up their worldly desires to worship and pray on a regular basis to the same God. The God that most of us may never see with our physical eyes until He returns. Its almost crazy.

That reminds me that He is real, and that He is moving right now. And that He is listening when I give Him my burdens. I feel like I have so many burdens sometimes. I just want God to give me peace, and His perspective. When I do have that, all my worries diminish. And since worry is a sin, I feel free. 

And I was made to be free, I was made in the image of God, and He is not bound by any power or person. 

Some thing significant is produced when God shows up because He's alive, because He brings abundant life. 

Sin only produces death because it is dead and barren. It is false and has no satisfaction to give and has no real meaning to a human heart because we were designed and created for God's love. 

God's love is truth because it is the only thing that fully satisfies...forever. It never stops satisfying. Its stronger than sin not only because it conquered the grave but because sin does not fully satisfy, it does not even satisfy the heart at all. Some think that momentary pleasures and sin will satisfy their hearts, but because they do not know what true pleasure and love is, they do not even know satisfaction and fullfillment. 

God's love far surpasses the "satisfaction"of sin. Sin is so weak comapred to the love of God. We were created for fullfillment, real love, satisfaction in our hearts, and true pleasure. And Satan, because He hates God and God's creation, has counterfeited satisfaction and pleasure with sin and impurities. It has no power in comparision to God's love because it is not truth, it is a lie and is only a counterfeit. Its pleasure is short and steals us from the love and pleasure of God beacuse it is impure. Sin offers you some thing it cannot even deliever.

God demands holiness and purity because if He did not, we would give in compeltely. He put a desire for Him in our hearts. We don't have to create the desire, we just have to stir up desire and as the piece of Him  that He has put in us cries out to Him, He cannot resist but to come and answer...this is so incredible...that God would carry out His plan this way. He is just so humble and beautiful to do this.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13

What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into the man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I percevived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and take pleasure in all his toil -- this is God's gift to man. 

This exceprt is very powerful, go back and read it again, and slowly. 

I know there is revelation that could keep coming and coming and coming from this passage. It gives us a small picture of God's plan. 

The gain he has is for his physical body: to provide shelter, food, clothing, and other material things. He works to keep help keep his body alive, healthy, and comfortable. 

I notice that I put most of my day's effort into physical accomodations. My life often revolves around my physical body and solving its issues. If I were to list every thing I did today, most of it would come down to taking care of my body. And the six hours of work today...the six hours of stress...most of that money made will benefit keeping me fed and so on...

As simple as it is to believe this, its hard to live out: It is far more beneficial to toil for my spiritual man. Because my body will only return to the dust just as the beasts.

My body has the simple, yet important task to house my soul and the Holy Spirit on this side of eternity. 

This supports the fact that the spiritual realm is far more real than the physical realm. Imagine how important the spiritual realm is, if it can be even more real than the physical realm. 

Misty Edwards sings: I don't want to waste (because there is no real eternal gain) my time living on the outside, I'm going to live from the inside out."

If I live on and for the outside, my inside will die, literally, now and in eternity. If I live from the inside out, the life inside of me spiritually will overflow onto my physical body,

 

 

"Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he can not find out what God has done from beginning to the end."

By putting eternity in our hearts, he has created a longing for Him, and truth, to stir a longing to know our creator. He gives this longing to us so that we search for Him, because love searches and struggles. If there was no longing then we would not search and struggle to find truth. God wants His creation to love Him willingly, that is what makes this whole picture beautiful: people in the midst of heart ache, struggles, and sin...still running after God. God knew what He was doing when He began it all, He wasn't surprised when Adam and Eve sinned. Surely He was greatly disappointed, but God had a plan. And since everything God creates is beautiful, the plan of salvation is beautiful. 

So this longing and hunger He put in creation is, in my own opinion, kind of necessary. God's plan of salvation and mercy would not exactly work without the hunger, longing and passion inside of us. And God never creates hunger and thirst that He does not intend to fill. He has no partiality. Every single thing God does has purpose. Putting eternity into every heart is a significant thing for Him to do. So it is important that we seek God. It is important that we protect the passion in our heart. The enemy will do every and any thing just to take away passion. Passion makes a relationship. No passion, no relationship. 

 

The Search for Relevancy

I stumbled across this website today,relevantmagazine.com and so since it was christian and hip and all (lol), I browsed through it and obviously I got frustrated. I've heard christian leaders talk about the christian culture in america that is striving to be "relevant" to this generation, but I never stumble across those types of ministries too often, until today. Its upsetting that Christians are wasting so much time misplacing their money to try and be relevant, to win souls. And the very One theyre trying to win people over to, is living inside of us (christians). And He is more relevant to anyone's desires than the latest style or song. If we were made in the image of this God, than isnt that enough? We can relate to Him in every single detail of our hearts. Our hearts and desires have His likeness. 

Consumed with loving God

I hear the description "consumed" often. And I briefly take notice of what it means. My head knows what it means. My heart sometimes meditates on a consumed lifestyle. But my heart is not consumed. I promise God over and over, time and time that I will change my prayerlessness, that I will let go of other passions and focus. But my mind and heart are quick to wander and easily become distracted. 

I'm not caught up in drugs, sex, drinking, partying, swearing, secular music or any deep sin. But I'm also not caught up in God like I know I'm capable of. A few minutes ago, while I was trying to meditate on God consuming my whole being, I kept envisioning a potato. Maybe I'm losing it, but I said to myself, I think I'm a couch potato. Yeah, I'm in the house, in the kingdom, getting informed with what I should know, what I should do, but, I'm not doing a whole lot and instead I'm gaining weight, getting stuffed on the right stuff. But not burning it off. Exercise is good for the heart. It produces endurance. It brings your body alive. In the same sense, my relationship with God needs to be more than sitting around, watching and talking about the "right things." I need to engage my heart, otherwise I will easily fall asleep. You can't love someone when you're sleeping. 

When I say that I want my heart to be literally consumed, I mean all the little cares and distractions have no place. I know this has truth because every time I am in God's presence, nothing else is on my mind. Some one might talk about some random topic, and I frankly don't care at all (not that God doesn't care about small things, but we were made for God, and when we are encountering Him, nothing but His love matters). By consumed, I mean that when I am sitting down to think about God or to pray to Him, my mind doesn't wander. Once my mind wanders unto one thing, it leads to another thought, and so on and so on. I start thinking about my job, my money, what I am wearing and eating the next day, when its going to rain, when it will be windy, when I am going to clean my car. Yes, things need to be done, I guess. But when I get to heaven and see God, nothing will matter. All that will matter is God saying to me, Well done, good and faithful servant. It won't matter what I wore to church, it won't matter if my lawn was always cut, it just won't matter. If I could only get an eternal mindset, I wouldn't allow my heart to become consumed with just little unnecessary thoughts, because those little distractions, simply distract you. God is waiting in the secret place for me, and I am allowing my heart to wander? I'm allowing my mind to take precedence over the needs of my heart? The GOD of the universe is WAITING for me. He actually is eternally consumed with loving me. My mind will never comprehend it. 

Through all of this, I do not think it is entirely possible to train my mind on my own; I need Holy Spirit's help. I don't say that just to say it. As a nazarite, I would like to ask God to brand my heart, even if it hurts or messes up my way of living. Even if I feel obscure and ugly. 

  

Eye

 

Frank Peretti.

I am reading a book by Frank Peretti, "The Wounded Spirit." He explains his life story in the book and how he was bullied when he was a kid because of his disease that deformed his body and stunted his body growth.  In this part I am about to share, Frank is talking about moral standards and who the Giver of the standards is.

 
     As Ravi Zacharias explains it (and I'm paraphrasing): In order to say that something is good or evil, you have to have some moral scheme, a moral law, by which to figure out what things are good and what things are evil. In order to have a moral law, you have to have a moral law Giver. If there is no moral law Giver, there can be no moral law, and what is, is. You can't make any judgement about it.
     And yet we make judgements all the time based on a morality that is, I suggest, beyond ourselves.
     Some people may argue that morality is merely a function of culture, that any particular culture develops a morality for the purpose of survival, and that no culture's morality is any better than another's. Then, in almost the same breath, they'll decry Nazi Germany's slaughter of the Jews, the white European's slaughter of the Native Americans, and the burning of widows in some parts of India.
     Others might say that our morality has evolved from worse to better. After all, we once had slavery, and now we don't; once women couldn't vote, and now they can; once we trashed the enviornment, but now we're cleaning up. But didn't they just say that no particular morality is better than the other? By what basis do they fault any agreed-upon morality we may have had in the past? What is, is. What was, was--unless something (or Someone) from somewhere planted in their hearts a sense of what a better morality would be.
     I got a kick out of watching the movie Contact, based on the novel by atheist astronomer Carl Sagan. The story deals with the search for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, and it brings up the provaocative spiritual and moral issues, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes-- I think-- by accident. one example is the main character's rationalization for believing that extraterrestrials must be out there someplace: It's such a huge universe that if there's nobody else out there, it would be a terrible waste of space.
     If you think about that statement, you quickly realize that its a moral judgement. It's a good thing to occupy and utilize space; it would be a bad thing to waste all that space. But wait a minute! A moral judgement in an accidental, random, impersonal universe? A waste of space? Who says so? By whose moral standard do we decide what is and isn't a waste of space?
     The lead character in Contact, played by Jodie Foster, is unfairly bumperd by the opportunity to travel to meet the extraterrestrials. It seems her egotistic and ambitious superior has reserved that role for himself. Now we have a moral dilemma because someone has been treated unfairly. But wouldn't it be more consistent with Sagan's atheiem to say that the fittest have survived? Funny, isn't it? Avowed atheists and relativists who ardently declare that we should not be encumbered by moral law still recognize when they have been wronged, and they protest.
     We see this same truth wherever two people engage in everyday squabbles and quarrels. Each is convinced of how right he or she is and wrong the other person is. Imagine a married couple having a fight: Somebody feels he or she has been used, abused, or treated unfairly and the other person had better straighten up. The element of fairness always comes into it.
     But who decides what is fair? And where did they ever get the idea that there is such a thing as fairness? Who taught them that?
     Even little children know about fairness, and most of them have never taken a philosophy class or majored in theology:
               "Jonny, put that cookie away; you'll spoil your supper."
               "Well, Susie gets to have one!"
               Or...
               "Sam, it's time for bed."
               "But Jimmy gets to stay up!"
     Even kids who have not been raised and schooled in theism still know when they're being ripped off. I suggest that every human being is born with a sense of transcendent justice because every human being, whether they acknowledge it or not, is made in the image of God. God is a moral God, a moral law Giver, and He has written His moral law upon the heart of every human being.
     When people try to get around this, it makes for a wacky world. They'll often smaick into themsleves cming the other way in the same sentence:
     "It's wrong to impose your morals on others!"
     Uh . . . pardon me, but when you tell me it's wrong to do something, aren't you imposing your morals on me?
     "There are no absolutes."
     That in itself is an absolute statement.
     "No one's moral opinion is vaild because we all speak from how we've been indoctrinated."
     Well, I guess that would apply to you as well, which means what you've just said isn't valid either.
     "Everyone should be able to believe whatever they want!"
     Then why are you arguing with me?
     "Life is meaningless."
     Would you consider that a meaningful statement?
     "You can't know anything for sure."
     You seem rather sure about that.
     "Students, no view of reality is superior to any other."
     Then why are you grading our papers?
     "You have no right to say truth is external! We all create our own reality!"
     Then I'm your fault.
     "Oh, here we go again, another right-wing fundamentalist making bold assertions of fact!"
     Pardon me, but didn't you just make a bold statement of fact?
     "There is no right; there is no wrong."
     Is that statement right or wrong?
     "You can't tell anybody they're wrong."
     Am I wrong in doing so?
 
     See what I mean? A lot of this stuff can get pretty silly, especially for those of us who ascribe to a biblical code of ehtics. The simple truth is, because objective, external truth and morality exist, we cannot build an arguement against objective, external truth and morality without falling back on an objective, external truth and morality!
     This is why some folks will pontificate about tolerance and open-mindedness and deny absolute truth or morality-- until someone crowds in front of them in the grocery checkout line. They will scoff at such antiquated ideas as honor, virtue, and integrity-- until their spouse cheats on them or a burglar ransacks their home. Then, suddenly, they will appeal to transcendent absolutes:
     "That's not fair! I've been cheated, robbed, and violated!"
     Oh yeah? Who says?
     God says.
     God, the external, objectice Giver of truth and morality, says that some things are right and some things are wrong. Furthermore, of you examine His Word, you will find that He can be quite specific about what matters to Him. The prophet Micah reminds us, "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Mic. 6:8).
     God has created us in His image and put each of us here on Earth for specific purposes. That means every human being has intrinsic value, preciousness, meaning, and dignity. Why? Because we matter to Almighty God! Moreover, not only is it wrong for me to devalue another person, to belittle, to bully, or to abuse another person created in God's image, I must do what I can to defend those who cannot defend themselves from such abuse. We really are "family," whetheror nto we chose to admit it.
 
 
 
  

Psalm 19

"The Law of the LORD is perfect (blameless), reviving the soul. "

The law of the of the LORD revives my soul because I was designed for holiness, by a Holy God.

The law reminds us of our nature and how different we are from God. It leaves us a tremendous amount of room to depend on God; the law makes its necessary for us to rely on God. It leaves much space for us to choose love and that's what God desires, people who choose to love Him amidst much sin, distraction and other lovers. If there were no standards and nothing to prove God's holiness, if we were to have the same nature as God (holy, perfect) then there would be no reason to love Him necessarily, because we would be love also, as He is love. We wouldn't need Him. Everyone would be love, and it wouldn't be a sacrifice to love each other. The law distinguishes us from God, and proves that loving wholeheartedly is sacrificial in our human nature. Our human nature opens a door for sacrificial love on God's part and therefore our part. If the law weren't to illuminate our sin, then we would not know of the sin and therefore never change, and then we could never be with God. Because those with a pure heart see God, and those with clean hands ascend the hill of the LORD. The law is ultimately pointing to the necessity for sacrifice, Jesus. Jesus fulfilled the law with love. 

True sacrifice atones for sins

How does the cross display holiness? 
He was set apart and sinless unto the point of consummation. The moment when the covenant was made as He tore the veil. His perfect blood was spilt. God set a standard on the cross-- our sacrifice reveals our heart. 
Even though He loves me, he could not look over my sin without a blood sacrifice. What is holiness, that there must be a blood sacrifice to remove the separation?
He knew on the cross how sin separates us from God --My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

God is a mystery

What is God's love that He would create all of us knowing he would have to die to follow through with His plan, a terrifying death. A death and resurrection so terrifying it conquers death itself? What is in God's heart that wold not even hesitate about making a world that would mostly abandon Him?

shadows

Why would God create physical shadows? They can't be necessary for life as it is, they've been tremendously helpful, but God did not need to create shadows. 

When I think of a man that I may marry someday (a holy nazarite), I need to visualize my husband and the love I have with him as a shadow of what my relationship with God should be. 

A shadow is a simplistic  replica of an object. It is flat, colorless, transparent and dull compared to its object. The object has depth, texture, weight, composition, color and distinct characteristics. The shadow depends on the object. Without the object, the shadow does not exist. Depending on the lighting, the shadow my altar and distort. 

The object: spiritual realm
The shadow: physical realm

: the valley of the shadow of death; not death itself. 
: when someone is under a real, spiritual cloud of depression, we do not see the actual cloud or spirit of depression itself (unless God gives us an open vision) but we see the direct effects of depression; the body deals with hormone issues and affects the person's whole being, mental and physical. 

excerpt from "Real Food" by Nina Planck

"Americans do eat too many grains and refined grains. The main villain is corn, in three forms: corn-fed beef, corn oil, and corn syrup. On factory farms, cattle eat corn that is too rich in omega-6 fats; then we eat the beef and milk lacking the omega-3 fats we need. Corn oil, the main source of excess omega-6 fats, is a major cause of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Corn also becomes high fructose corn syrup, the main caloric sweetener  in junk food. Intake of high fructose corn syrup grew by more than 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding changes in consumption of any other food. The rise of corn syrup mirrors the increase in obesity. Fructose also raises insulin, blood pressure, and triglycerides. If you take only one piece of advice from the Stone Age diet, stop eating all forms of industrial corn. It's far better to eat this delicious native vegetable in the traditional way: boiled with butter or in whole corn grits-- ideally soaked first."

Coke ingredients

obesity-v-hfcs.jpg

Why I am breathing

Before the foundation of the world, God loved me. He created me and desires my heart. He made me to gaze upon His beauty, the beauty of unconditional love exposed on a tree. This magnificent God, that I can not ever comprehend has created such an intricate universe for me to woo my heart, like a man giving flowers to a woman. And this Holy God became humble and took on EVERY single sin so that I may be with him forever.

James 4:5

“Or do you not suppose it is no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us?’ ”    (James 4:5) 1. “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls, all your breakers and waves have gone over me.” (Psalm 42:7). Deep calls unto deep? The depth of God’s love cries out for the depth in us. Compared to God, we are infinitely small and shallow. But God, through Jesus (the manefestation of His love), has poured out and covered us in His blood. And HIS BLOOD has MUCH DEPTH. It conquered the grave! If that blood can save a soul from HELL, it MUST be deep, it must be unfathomable. Imagine that blood covering us. So, the depth of God’s love calls unto and yearns for the blood we are covered in.  Even in the very beginning in Genesis 4, God reveals the importance of blood. Verse 10: “And the LORD said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” This was in the OLD testament, this was the blood of a human, the blood was of a dead man, it was on the ground. And STILL that blood was crying out, God heard that blood. If that blood cried out, imagine how much the blood of a perfect God,  is crying out for redemption! Now, Back to the original verse, now that “deep calling to deep” has been briefly explained. 2. “He yearns jealously over the spirit He has made to dwell in us.” God, the creator of the UNIVERSE, has made for us His spirit so we may live in constant communion with Him. He loves us that much! Not only did He make us, not only did He die for us, but He is so gracious to give sinful, compromising, simplistic, and often foolish humans HIS SPIRIT. We need to really ask God for this revelation. I think we grieve God’s heart with our complacent attitude towards Holy Spirit, whom IS a man. Its not an extra gimmick that comes with Christianity! The Spirit of GOD dwelling in me?! So, being filled with the extravagant Holy Spirit, God’s depth and spirit is yearning and calling out unto the Spirit He has placed in us. This is proof that we can not take it for granted. GOD of the universe is yearningjealously for what He has placed in us. He desires to move in our hearts, so jealously, that when he is invited to come and consume our hearts, He starts removing our other lovers. He starts removing addictions, he starts burning out depression that we hold unto, he starts trashing the immorality we place high in our hearts. He starts removing the stars and idols we stare at, when we think we are looking at Him. He is so jealous like a husband who will show all of his love and affections towards his wife so that she won’t ever fall out of love. He is so jealous that even His EYES burn. The God of the universe, who created atoms, cells, and planets, burns with such intensity for us, that He ETERNALLY intercedes for our hearts. I think it is vital that we cry out for hunger.
I found this in someone else's blog “I’m frustrated with a loved one’s choices.” God the Father has been there. Really. I should talk with Him. “I have a crush on someone. Someone who isn’t sure if I exist.” Jesus has been there too. Really. I should talk with Him. “There’s a group of people that I wish I was more involved with… If only they wanted me around.” The Holy Spirit knows that feeling. Really. I should talk with Him.
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