Written By @3130beloved
james 1:14-15 31:30 beloved
“Comparison is the disordered desire for approval and validation. A woman then becomes enslaved by comparing intellect, beauty, body composition, style, fashion, etc. An untrue image of oneself will always lead to discontentment and insecurity. Women, with their words and attitudes can BRUTALIZE the human race. God HATES gossip and slander. For women, perfectionism is the disordered desire for righteousness and also perfection APART from Christ. Where perfectionism is not attained, they are paralyzed.”
— @mattchandler74 🤯⁣
@_jessicachow 31:30 beloved


Wow, wow, wow!

“Perfection apart from Christ”, I mean, this smacked me in the face like a ton of bricks. *Whack* It pains me (probably in an eternal way) to admit that no matter how you slice it, I am enslaved to seeking perfection and it does brutalize my soul.⁣ Not just mine but also everyone else’s around me. Where I am personally discontent, that is also where I often quarrel with others; against others. Where I’m insecure and have a lack of awareness, I brutalize others with my judgements and words of fire.⁣

We’ve all done it.⁣

We live in a world that’s done everything in it’s power to give life to what Jesus died for, amen? The most anxious, insecure and new age generation was given cell phones with cameras 📸 attached to them. Then social media was created so that we could all hide behind those photos so let’s not get it twisted that it is the our own desires that tempt us to compare and live out of discontent, and not the Lord.

✨“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.✨⁣ - James ‬1:13-15‬⁣

Whether it’s to become the perfect wife + to be the perfect host + the perfect friend + have perfect hair and makeup at all (public) times + know God’s bible perfectly + to have the perfect fiancé/husband/life partner… but the truth is, we don’t have to be “perfect” in order to be great! Hallelujah! We can take on the perfection that is made available to us IN Christ Jesus, amen?! ✊⁣ He is the only perfection that is true perfection, has no social media account, and yet 2.5 BILLION FOLLOWERS.
⁣
I have a question today. It’s heavy, but, “What is the root of your discontentment? I mean, truly? Dig deep. What desire(s) continue to drag you away from God and to “birth sin” as James 1:15 says?🤔⁣

What’s mine?
*Sigh* I confess to believing an untrue image of myself rather than believing who God says I am, let alone who He says He is.🙇🏻‍♀️ We’re all exactly where we are by the Grace of God so who are we to ever boast in ourselves or think we’re so “perfect” that we can judge another brother or sister. We are where we are in our lives not because he loves anyone more or less. No one is “further along” than anyone else.
We’re simply and gratefully gifted differently! Mine is turning inward when I should turn UPWARD so can we turn upward to Him today?🤲🏻

@3130beloved

I’ve always hated these, “Bio” or “About me” sections— so awkward.

But… after living 25 years lost in my agnostic world chasing my own fame, glory, comfort and will I was brought to my end. After the death of my mom, ending the most manipulative & emotionally abusive relationship, a lifestyle of drug addiction, 2 abortions, and finding myself empty while standing in the middle of what the world says is “bliss”… I reached the end of myself and the beginning of seeing Jesus’ light beaming down on me.

I met His Holy Spirit for the first time at a Halloween rave called, “Day of the Dead.” To this day, I still think this is one of the darkest places to be on our planet. I raved and popped pills to numb my pain, to avoid my fears and to suppress my sadness. I was in the middle of bobbing my head and raising my arms to the electro house music blasting in my ears when images of skeletons came on the TV monitors and the weak spirit within me has a knee-jerk reaction to put my arms down. “Whoa! I don’t worship that!”, I thought. “Wait, what do I know about worship?” Now looking back, there God was! The beginning of my site for Him.

A year later, I followed my brother (his good looking friend) to church (@realityLA). I don’t remember the sermon but I heard God for the first time when worship began singing, “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me.”

I LOST my mind.

It was an overwhelming & LAVISHINGGG upon me of, "Hi precious girl. I see you. I know you. I’ve been here. I know your pain. I know your loss. I know you are lost. I know you’re angry, specifically with me because you lost your mom and you think your life is unredeemable but my beloved, I’ve been coming after you because you are mine.” I cried the hardest I’d ever cried in my life because my entire being just knew… This. Is. God. This. Is. The. Master. Of. The. Universe— and He wants me? Broken, selfish, ugly me?

I soon followed this good looking friend of my brothers to a community group. There is where I met the love of God through His people as they accepted me, fed me, welcomed me, and took me in as family despite my lifestyle that rebelled against everything they believed. One year later, I said, “Fine. I’ll follow until you fail just like everything else has.” Well… He hasn’t failed nor broken any promise yet. ;) My choice to accept Jesus as my Lord, savior and new identity has brought me more freedom than I could have ever fathomed. I didn’t know what I was living for or aiming at but God truly lit up every shadow, broke down every wall, shattered every lie and came after me.

Salvation belongs to the Lord.

As the world kicks and screams trying to shout their way to justice, peace and unity on their own terms right now, may the roots of our identity in Christ grow deeper each day together as one body; as one family.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.”

https://3130beloved.com