"Captivating": Blog 2

So I finished up "Captivating" tonight. I will still say what I said before, buy the book. It is awesome.

"A woman of true beauty is a woman who in the depths of her soul is at rest, trusting God because she has come to know Him to be worthy of her trust.  She exudes a sense of calm, a sense of rest, and invites those around her to rest as well.  She speaks comfort; she knows that we live in a world at war, that we have a vicious enemy, and our journey is through a broken world.  But she also knows that because of God all is well, that all will be well."

Ahh, I love it!  Ladies, we trust Him don't we?  We believe that all is well because of Him.  If we believe these things, then why do we have reputations for being so crazy?  I'm thinking it may be because we forget to totally rest in Him.  We try to carry burdens that are not necessary.  I am beginning to see the constant battle between resting in ourselves and resting in Him.  I think we'll be better if we rest in Him. :) Just saying...

One of the parts of the book that really tickled me was the part where Matthew 7:6 is referenced.  "Do not throw your pearls to pigs."  Now, I know this means to be careful not to "give something precious to someone who, at best, cannot recognize its beauty, or at worst, will trample on it", but I specifically feel like God speaks to His daughters like an awesome father by saying "hey, don't waste your precious gifts on guys who don't recognize their significance".  I love it.  Thank you, Father.  Amen.

So the struggles with the Enemy have really been on my mind and heart lately. It's a scary thing.  I think it's good to recognize this war, but then I also wonder, if I spend too much time dwelling on it am I allowing the Enemy to succeed?  Also, I sometimes look back on previous times in my life where the Enemy was quite clearly succeeding and feel this tremendous amount of shame.  The following quote brought me a lot of comfort, "God allows spiritual warfare and uses it in our lives for our good.  It is how we learn to grow in exercising our God-given spiritual authority as women."This is awesome, and indeed so true.  I have definitely grown in my spiritual authority, so instead I should be rejoicing in the growth. :)

Lastly, probably my favorite quote in the book, "Security is not found in the absence of danger, but in the presence of Jesus.". This is just plain awesome for its obviousness.