Don't Follow Your Heart

"Follow your heart" 

We have all heard that phrase many times. We see it all over Pinterest and Instagram; we are constantly surrounded by people telling us to "Follow our heart". If I could only give someone one piece of advice, it would be: "DON'T FOLLOW YOUR HEART!"  Let's look at the first of many scripture verses in this post:  Jeremiah 17:9- "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"  Notice it says 'the heart is deceitful'. Our hearts can betray us. Our hearts are emotional, we need wisdom as well.

      As Christians, we shouldn't be following our heart, we should be following the convictions of the Holy Spirit.  1 Chronicles 16:11 says,  “Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.”

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”  This is saying that we do not belong to ourselves, therefore we should be following God's heart, not our own. For God has more wisdom than anyone can imagine.     

     Most teenagers hate depending on people. They don't like the idea of not being able to do things themselves (me included!) They want to be independent and make their own decisions. Read this quote by John Bevere, "When we invite the Holy Spirit into our decision making processes, He will ALWAYS bear witness through the peace of Christ Jesus."  While the overall first impression of following our heart sounds okay, it's not. Here's the tough truth: When you follow your own heart, it's saying that your priorities and what you want in life is higher than God's priorities and His will for you. Ouch. That kinda stings, but we often do just that, often without meaning to! Continuing off of that, By following our heart, we are turning against God and living a life self-focused instead of Christ-focused.

     Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Now this is not saying that God is a Genie and will grant you any wish you want. No, this verse is saying that if we truly delight in the Lord, what we will want is what God desires and wants for our lives. Remember, God wouldn't withhold something good from your life unless there is something better waiting for you.

     John 16:13 has a great message, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

When you place your trust in God, the Holy Spirit will guide you and help you with discernment and wisdom. 

     I know this post is getting long and I'm almost done. I feel very strongly on the topic of fully surrendering yourself to God and His wisdom so I want to help others the best I can. William Booth said this, "The greatness of a man's power is in the measure of his surrender." Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When we live by the convictions of the Holy Spirit and strive to do the will of God, IT WILL SHOW! Acts 1:8 stated that when we have the Holy Spirit we will be witnesses to the people around us. And as followers of Christ (not our own hearts and desires) being examples and living a life as a testimony to God is something we should all strive to do. Your life is your ministry. Thanks so much for reading this post! Remember that while we see only a part of a simple sketch of our lives, God sees a mural full of paint and color. He knows what's best, lean on Him and trust Him with everything. -Maddie

Lavender Foot & Hand Scrub

Hey guys! Here is an amazing foot/hand scrub that will exfoliate and soften your skin. You can use it on your hands, arms, feet, and legs. It is so wonderful and it feels fantastic. This scrub also moisturizes your skin and will never leave it dry.

• Microwave 1/2 cup of Coconut Oil in a microwave safe container until completely melted.

• Pour melted Coconut Oil into a small bowl and add one cup of White Sugar. Mix until blended well.

• Add 10 drops of Lavender Oil to the mixture. 

• Store the scrub in a cute mason jar or container. 

{because the coconut oil was completely melted, it will seem very runny and liquid like. Don't freak out! It will thicken as the oil cools/hardens. It will take about 12 hours to be normal} 

Benefits of Lavender Oil: 

It is very soothing, relaxing and creates a calming effect. It also is supposed to help with balance. 

Homemade Dry Shampoo

I don't know about you guys, but dry shampoo is a life saver to me! If you are rushed in the morning for school and don't have time to wash your hair, this is perfect for you! This recipe has only 3 ingredients and is super easy to make. Not to mention so much cheaper then regular dry shampoo and much more natural. -Aѕнley

Ingredients: 

• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch 

• 4 Tablespoons of water

• 1 Tablespoon rubbing alcohol

Mix together in a small bowl, then pour into a spray bottle.  

To use: 

Spray all over head until hair is slightly damp. Use more in the oilier spots on your head. Let dry.

 

How to Get the Most out of your Personal Time with God

"Your real life is your spiritual life. And both are going to be awful until you realize that they are not separate things." - Jordan Taylor 

Hey Guys, many people struggle with having personal devotions and time with God. Here are some tips that I have heard/read that have helped me. -ᗰᗩᗪᗪIE

Make it a priority. The first thing you must do is actually remember to have devotions. The majority of us spend a lot of time on our phones or have them near us often, so set a reminder/alarm on your phone to remind you to spend time with God. 

Find a quiet place. I have a chair in the corner on my bedroom by my window, this is where my time with God is usually spent. I also like going outside on our back porch, however it is summer in Texas so that is not the most ideal location at this point in time.

Turn off all music. This will help you keep the focus on God and it will limit your distractions. If you absolutely can not live without having music on, I would encourage you to play classical music, hymns, or worship songs.

Turn off electronics. This will help keep the focus off the world around us and on God. There are exceptions to this. I like to use the YOUVERSION Bible app. It is completely free for both android and apple. •  http://bible.com/app  •This app has almost every version of the Bible and in many languages. It also has reading plans and devotionals which are very helpful. I have done many of those and they have impacted my walk with God greatly. 

Journal. Starting a journal has been one of the best decisions in my spiritual walk with God. You can write verses or quotes that stood out to you, what they mean to you and how you can apply them to your life. If you are using a reading plan or devotional, you can write down the main points that they provide or that you want to remember. You can also write praises and prayer requests as well as prayers in your journal. Having a journal also lets you go back and review what you have previously learned and see how far you have come spiritually. It doesn't have to be super long, however as you continue journaling your walk with God, it's very hard to stop!

Discuss it with a friend. If you learn something new, or have a verse or quote that stands out to you, share it with a friend! That way more than one person can benefit from your time with God and it is a great way to engage in Godly conversations. 

Use study techniques. This goes along with journaling. There are many different ways to study and get the most out of scripture. One way is using the S.O.A.P. method: 

SCRIPTURE- write out one verse that is meaningful to you.

OBSERVATION- what is interesting in this passage? What did you learn? What is God saying to you through this?

APPLICATION- how can you apply this scripture to your life? 

PRAYER- respond to God in prayer. 

Finally, don't forget to take time just to listen and pray. 

I hope you benefit from these tips and suggestions.

 Don't forget to follow us on our Pinterest and Instagram and to subscribe by email to get notifications and have our newest blog post delivered straight into your inbox. Don't worry we can not see your email and have no way to get it!

DIY Night Cream

DIY Night Cream:

     Hey Guys! This is a super easy and cheap night cream. It feels so good on your skin, helps clear up acne, and moisturizes your skin. 

     

First take all the ingredients:

•1/2 teaspoon of olive oil

•1 1/2 tablespoons of organic coconut oil

• 3-5 drops of Lemon oil

•3-5 drops of Lavender oil.

•3-5 drops of Frankincense oil

Combine all of the ingredients into a small bowl and stir until blended. It will be very runny and have a liquid consistency. DON'T WORRY! It does thicken up! Pour into a small container. I got mine from the travel section in Target, however most stores and Amazon have small containers for a cheap price. (Ps. I took the picture BEFORE it thickened, however it becomes quite thick one you leave it for a while.)

*Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Pinterest! Also, in the top left corner you can sign up by email to get notifications and our new posts delivered straight into your inbox! Don't worry we can't see your email and have no way to get it!*

What Defines Our Worth?

This is one of my favorite poems. It is by Erin Hanson. Not only is it one of my favorites, it has popped up in my life over 7 times in the past 3 days, between social media and Pinterest. So I concluded that it was a prompt from God to write about this topic. -Maddie

      The big question is "What defines our worth?"  That question is a very very very important question to know the answer to. This poem talks about our worth, how it's not surface level. It says that we need to look within. First lets talk about what our worth is NOT found in. Girls, our worth is not found in what people think of us. Our worth is not found in our appearance. 1 Samuel 16:7b says, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Our worth is not found in our popularity, or how many followers/friends we have. Our worth is found in God. Only God can give us our worth. NOTHING ELSE CAN. "The number of followers we have does not make you better than anyone else. Hitler had millions, Jesus had 12."

        As girls, we often feel the need to prove our worth to the world. However, this doesn't make one bit of sense. Galatians 1:10 says, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

We don't need to prove our worth to the world, because the world can not add one ounce of worth to our lives. Our worth can only found in Christ. 

       So when you are feeling looked down upon by others, or feeling worthless, don't feel that way! Why? Because your worth is not defined by human standards.  Your worth is defined by Christ Jesus.

 Always remember this:  

"Your value doesn't decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth." 

Five Beauty Uses for Old Mascara Wands

•••Five Beauty Uses for Old Mascara Wands•••

1. Eyebrow Brush: Not only can you use it to comb your eyebrows and keep them on fleek, you can rub the wand through an eyeshadow that matches your eyebrows and then comb through them. This helps lightly fill them in without taking the time to actually fill them in.

2. Fly Away Hair: Now I know this sounds weird, but we all have those days where our hair won't cooperate and we have those annoying fly aways. This is the perfect way to get rid of them. Just take your mascara wand, and spray some hairspray on it and smooth it over the fly aways. Problem solved!

3. Separate Eyelashes: This is pretty self explanatory, but just comb lightly through your eyelashes to separate them before applying mascara to get a more voluminous effect.

4. Removing Mascara Clumps: One of our biggest beauty problems as girls is clumpy mascara. Just take your mascara wand and lightly brush through your eyelashes as to remove the clumps. 

5. Exfoliate Lips: Take your mascara wand and rub lips to exfoliate. To achieve the highest satisfaction of this, use a lip scrub. Two blog posts back has a DIY recipe that is incredibly easy and works amazingly!