Guarding Your Heart Well

The book of Proverbs in the Bible is such a treasure chest of wisdom, direction, and truth. There are so many phrases filled with wise truths that the Proverbs is more than likely something you find yourself returning to again and again in order to find a favorite verse, re-read something that stood out to you, or pull from when giving advice to someone in your life.There is one verse in particular we have been meditating on lately that we wanted to share with ya'll...Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. -Proverbs 4:23From this verse, it is clear that guarding your heart is beyond important, because it is where life flows from. The first time I read this verse, I remember being overwhelmed by the weight and importance of this statement. Overwhelmed in a positive way, though, since it is truth being shared with us for our good.So, what does guarding your heart entail? I believe it means taking matters of the heart seriously and knowing that your heart is strong, yes, but so precious and to be handled with care. Our hearts are very much the source of life because we dream, love, worship, do, give, work, play, create and everything else with and from our hearts. Therefore, protecting it is a non-negotiable."Guarding your heart" might first sound like you need to be closed off or unloving, but that is the opposite of the truth! Guarding your heart actually allows you to love others well because you are protecting the foundation of your capacity to do just that. However, failing to guard your heart will lead to situations, people, and environments that are more than likely not good for your soul and are certainly not life-giving.The most important command is to love God with all our heart and then to love our neighbors (Luke 10:27). By guarding your heart from things that are not best for it, you will find yourself able to love God fully and love others sweetly. Life will be flowing from your heart so abundantly, so guarding your heart will be second nature. Discernment will come easier with practice and you will be able to easily turn toward life-giving and good-for-your-heart situations, practices, and decisions and turn away from those things that will not be heart healthy for you.Wishing you love & peace as you guard your heart well! xo

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Fearless February

It's the first full week of February and we are diving in fearlessly. My good friend (and editor here on LSK!) and I have been talking a lot lately about fear and how to handle fearful thoughts that creep in our minds. I first must say that having a friend who can relate is a great blessing to talk through all the feels and kick fear out together!I always remember a quote from Louie Giglio: "Fear is faith in satan" when I am struggling in a season of fear, and it helps me every time because my faith is in Jesus, therefore I shall not fear. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 By saying no to fear, you are saying no to satan and showing the devil (and fear!) the exit door.Francesca Battistelli has a great song out right now that I blast whenever it comes on the radio called "The Breakup Song", but it is not your average breakup song; it's about breaking up with fear:Fear, you don't own meThere ain't no room in this storyAnd I ain't got time for youTelling me what I'm notLike you know me well guess what?I know who I amI know I'm strongAnd I am freeGot my own identitySo fear, you will never be welcome hereCan I get an Amen!? How good are those lyrics? Let's all play this song on repeat this month as we declare that we are strong, free, and rooted in Christ, therefore able to stand up to fear and say no, fear, not today and not ever!Last but not least, this passage from Andi Andrew's book, She Is Free, has also been inspiring me lately to really stand up to fear with the armor of God and victoriously battle it straight out of my life."Remember, fear is a liar that only has the level of authority we give it. Starve it out by dwelling in and staying connected to God's perfect love. Recognizing and discerning fear is half the battle. Once you see it, you can take authority over it."  So much praise for these words by Andi Andrew! Fear is a lie that has no authority over our lives. Let's hold on to that truth and repeatedly remind ourselves that God is with us always, therefore we shall not fear. He is our refuge, our shield, and our protector...fear stands no chance!

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A Faith-Filled Book To Read This Year

You guys. I am sure you have heard that Lysa Terkeurst has a new book, It's Not Supposed To Be This Way. I am here today to express the importance of reading this book ASAP! It is one of those life-giving, life-changing reads with gems of words of wisdom that will forever have a place in your heart and minds.[show_shopthepost_widget id="3432266"] Jamie Ivey recently interviewed Lysa on her podcast and Jamie put it perfectly- Lysa's new book is for anyone that has gone through or going through disappointment in life. If you have felt the pain that disappointing situations and circumstances bring, this book will reveal truth and point you to Scripture that will comfort and help heal, even during the midst of the prolonged processing of it all.Lysa is by far one of my favorite authors because of her honesty, vulnerability, and truth-filled pages. I was blown away by and thankful for the amount of Scripture that was included in this book, making it a great book to keep near your Bible and a wonderful resource for when inevitable hard times come your way. Life is a beautiful gift from the Lord, but it is also promised with trials and things sometimes aren't going to be the way they are *supposed* to be in our minds. But, as we all know, God is good, His plans for us are good, His ways are not our ways, and He is working things out. Have faith, take courage, seek Him, trust His ways, wait for His timing...and read this book!A few favorite quotes from Lysa Terkeurst are below to hold you over until you get the chance to read her book:"To trust God is to trust His timing. To trust God is to trust His way. God loves me too much to answer my prayers at any other time than the right time and in any other way than the right way." -page 45"No human is strong enough to withstand seeing too much of God's plan in advance. It must be revealed daily. And we must be led to it and through it slowly. Jesus is the perfect one to show us the way, the truth, and the life."  -page 47"Weak moments don't make weak faith. Weak moments make us even more aware of our need to press in to faith. A faith in God that help us know that what we see isn't all there is. Weak moments are also clues telling us what needs to be addressed right now in this part of the journey. Don't beat yourself up for weak moments. But don't ignore them either." -page 128--With love,Team LSK.

This Season's Word: Comfort

With Christmas next week, all the cozy, festive, holiday vibes are in full force. This season is so special and is such a gift for many reasons, but most importantly it marks the arrival of our forever, perfect gift; our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.A word that has been on my heart a lot in 2018 has been comfort. As humans, an intrinsic motivation and desire is comfort. I recently heard two sermons on comfort (here and here) that confirmed what I knew to be true, but after these two back to back messages, the truth really took roots in my heart and mind. Comfort comes from one place and one place alone: Jesus. He is the only source of true satisfying comfort.If we seek God, we will find comfort because He is our refuge, strength, helper, and place of safety. (Psalm 46:1-3, Psalm 61:3, Psalm 121:7-8 CSB) However, if we seek comfort first, we will find ourselves being comforted by things other than God. This is the tricky place where comfort can quickly become an idol in our lives without us really even being aware that idolatry is sneaking in. We must remember God is our comforter, not people or things here on earth. God is so good and knows just what we need (Matthew 6:25-27), is our great provider (Deuteronomy 2:7), and has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). Fear not, He comforts us perfectly daily, including days of affliction...especially those days! We just have to seek Him and run to Him as our refuge!As we enter in to 2019 shortly, seeking God and not seeking comfort is the direction of my heart. He is our True North, in His wings we find refuge (Psalm 91), and His name is our tower of safety (Proverbs 18:10). Seeking Him and loving Him with all our hearts will bring us comfort that the world can never offer. Amen and thank you, Jesus. Merry Christmas to all! xo.

The Imperfect Art of Seeking Wisdom

When I typed this title at first, I typed the art of seeking wisdom and then I chuckled to myself because it is an art, but it is an imperfect one at best! However, the imperfect art of seeking wisdom is so beautiful at every hesitant yet hopeful, slightly uncomfortable yet incredibly helpful, painful yet promising, unwanted yet so needed moment. Every effort of the act of seeking wise counsel is so worth it.The Bible is full of instruction on seeking wisdom. First and foremost, the one who fears the Lord is on the path to wisdom. Fearing God is the first and most necessary step to live a life close to Jesus and needed to obtain wisdom and knowledge. Proverbs 9:10 reads: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.After fearing the Lord, seeking Him always, and meditating on His word, the Bible also instructs us to seek wise counsel. Proverbs 12:15 reads: A fool's way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise. This is where community is so important. Having people in your circle that you can count on, trust, and go to when you need guidance is so important. If we are left to a path that we see as right in our own eyes alone, we would essentially be quite lost. This is because we can't trust what we see through our own eyes, since our sight is so severely limited compared to that of the Lord. The Lord makes His way known to us through His Word, the Holy Spirit, and biblically sound counsel from wise people in our lives here on earth.When I picture a person fearing God with their mind, heart, and soul, seeking Him constantly, and then calling on wise counsel from Biblically-minded people they trust, I see a person that is well-prepared and totally equipped to make wise choices and walk through life confidently, faithfully, and wisely.Have you sought counsel from trusted ones in your life lately? Share with us in the comments below about how that experience impacted you and what you learned from it! Prayers and love to all, xo.

THE LOOK

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The Dichotomy of Love

Love is the most beautiful gift in the world and is in itself a depth that feels impossible to describe in words, yet it simultaneously seems to bring a heavy heart. Let me explain because I don't want this to sound like a negative perspective, but more one of reality + one I have been navigating the last four years. To illustrate, by far one of the greatest blessings in my life is my husband. We share such a tightly-bound, inseparable bond full of passion, lots of special memories, constant laughs, and mutual willingness to compromise because our sincere goal is to love each other better every day.To take a step back, I grew up in Dallas, am super close to my family (my mom and my twin sister are my besties, and same with my dad!), and I experienced one of the greatest seasons of loss in that city, which connected me to it (aka the people) in a way where it will always feel extra safe and like home. When Jase and I met, he was living in Los Angeles and has now been here for nearly 14 years, so, as many of you know, I moved out of Texas to start a life with my best friend. Hence the dichotomy begins; I experienced such heartbreak to leave everything that was comfort, yet I was so incredibly excited to live in the same city as Jason!He and I are both so thankful for this big move because my struggle of adjusting to a new atmosphere became his struggle too; he has been by my side wholeheartedly through it all, and we attribute this time to how deeply well we know each other. He is always there to cry with me and validates the grief of being unable to pop by my parent's or sister's house at any time. It developed in me such a lasting trust that he can comfort me like the people I am closest to can.The things that create such a rich love almost always seem to come from sacrifice and hardship, whether big or small. For instance, leaving Dallas or saying goodbye to my family when they visit hurts my heart at such a deep level, yet there is gratefulness amidst the pain because it only strengthens our marriage + it makes me extra grateful for every memory and moment with my family. Not to mention, leaving Jase to see my family hurts my heart just the same. It’s such a complicated emotional pull, but one that causes me to be filled with thankfulness for all of the love that causes such intense emotion. Am I making sense? Does anyone relate to this feeling?This post is in collaboration with The Refined Collective Series. Be sure and check out the other ladies in this wonderful group, such as Kat Harris with The Refined Woman and Jackie Viramontez.

THE OUTFIT 

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The Beautiful Blessing Of Trust

The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends it's roots out toward a stream, it doesn't fear when it heat comes, and it's foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit. -Jeremiah 17:7-8 (CSB)What a beautiful picture this verse paints for us: a strong tree with deep roots nourished by water, flourishing with vibrant foliage, stable in security amidst periods of drought, and fruitful no matter what might come. Scripture tells us that the person who trusts in the Lord is blessed, as blessed as the tree described here. The person who trusts in the Lord will be strong, secure, vibrant, nourished, and fruitful because he is rooted in trust and confidence in the Lord.This does not mean that we won't face trials (those periods of extreme heat or tough droughts), but more incredibly it means that even during the trials, trust in our Lord will allow us to continue to grow and thrive in our hope, dependence, and confidence in Him. When we partner with our great God through trust, blessings come and He enables us to be fearless and free of worry as we grow and strengthen like a strong, healthy tree by the water.How incredible is that? I cannot imagine a promise more beautiful. God is so good to His children, promising such a fruitful future for those who trust in Him completely and make Him their confidence.[show_shopthepost_widget id="3251407"]

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Five Questions With Christine Caine

We are beyond excited to have Christine Caine on the blog today. We recently spoke about her book Unexpected on LSK in this post, so it is a major blessing to be featuring five questions with Christine Caine today on the blog. Christine is not just a woman of faith, but she is a woman who is fervently pursuing the life in which the Lord has called her to live as an activist, author, and international speaker. If you attended or watched IF Gathering this past February, you know what I am talking about! Her passion for spreading the Gospel and loving God with all of your heart and mind is truly inspiring. Read the Q&A below to learn more from Christine and definitely read her book!

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-Your newest book, Unexpected, has spoken to our to hearts so deeply. What initially prompted you to write about stories of the unexpected happening in people’s lives?

When I first sat down to start writing Unexpected, it was actually headed in a very different direction. But as 2016 rolled on at the time, I saw how shaken our world was by unexpected tragedies and events. Then, the unexpected hit my own life in a whole new way. I share in the book that I stepped off of a boat where I was celebrating my 50th birthday with 150 of my closest friends to discover several missed phone calls and texts from my brother telling me my mother had passed away. That experience of feeling whiplashed by pain in a moment of such joy really defined a new direction for the book.

The result is what I would say is the most personal book I’ve written. God took me through my own wilderness season in writing the book. And because of that I think the stories are more than just stories, they’re testimonies of His steady faithfulness even in the most unexpected of circumstances.

-Your vulnerability and the vulnerability of the people you feature in Unexpected is undeniable throughout the book. What is your prayer for opening up in this way?

My prayer is that we will all become prisoners of hope. That we will develop the emotional and spiritual muscles needed to overcome fear with faith. That doesn’t mean we deny the reality of pain in our world, but it does mean that we aren’t defined by it and don’t define our lives by it.

-A chapter from your book speaks to the feeling of being in the wilderness and how God works in us during these times to prepare us for the Promised Land in our lives. If you could summarize that amazing chapter into one piece of advice for how to navigate the wilderness seasons we face, what would it be? 

When you find yourself in the wilderness, make God’s promises bigger than your disappointment and heartache. If you give up on His promises, you will give in to disillusionment, cynicism, and bitterness, and you will lose heart.

Our disappointment and heartache threaten to derail us every day. They can so easily distract us and shift our focus from God’s power at work in our lives to their destruction in our lives. What we chose to do with that disappointment and heartache will determine our destiny. Take hold of the promise that God’s power is bigger than any disappointment or heartache. And remember that the wilderness is a place to pass through, not a place to stay and set up camp.

-God is using you in such an incredible, bold, impactful way. You write in the book that you got where you are now by taking the long way and not being tempted to take a shortcut in the past- even if you might not have been where you expected to be by that time. When it comes to patience and trusting that the Lord’s steps are the right steps for us, what is your biggest piece of advice for readers? 

Put your trust in God’s plan into practice by embracing the place you are in today with passion and faithfulness. Focus more on becoming the person God designed you to be than on doing the things God designed you to do. He cares most about our hearts and souls, we should too. Remember that the long way around is where we build the muscles - mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually - that are required for the next step in our journey.

-You reference Scripture often in your book to support the stories that you share. Can you share with us now a passage from the Bible that you hold on closely to when facing unexpected times in life? 

One of my favorite Scriptures of all is Ephesians 3:20 which says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” Those words give me so much hope in the unexpected times because it reminds me that following God’s plan instead of my own is a grand adventure that will far exceed my dreams in the end no matter how rough and painful it may get in the middle.

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feature image via Christine Caine's Instagram // second image via IF Gathering's Instagram 

When In The Wilderness

Let us first start out by saying that Christine Caine's newest book, Unexpected, is the inspiration for this post and a must-read for all. It is so gripping in the most God-loving, life-changing way! It is a book that you won't easily be able to put down because it is full of words and truths that your heart and mind thirst for and will soak right up.There was one chapter that especially rocked my world titled "When the Unexpected Disheartens." In this chapter, Christine shares a friend's story of experiencing a season of incredible growth due to a period of being in the wilderness. I think we can all relate to seasons of life spent in the wilderness; these seasons are scary and they are unexpected. However, as Christine shares, it is often the wilderness when and where God works big-time, and when and where we really grow, bloom, and flourish into the people we were created by Him to be.On page 128, Christine writes: "We all have wilderness seasons in our lives, times when everything that feels familiar, stable, and comforting falls away. But that's exactly why the wilderness is a place of transformation. With nothing to distract us from ourselves, and with no one but God to rely on, the conditions are ripe for growth and change. If we embrace the wilderness wholeheartedly, it becomes a place in which we are freed from our bondage to fear, insecurity, and disappointment."- Christine Caine, Unexpected Thinking of the wilderness as "a place of transformation" turns the wilderness into a hopeful place instead of a fearful one. It is not always easy to see that in the thick of it, but if we can keep moving forward with our eyes fixated on God and trust that he is at work in us in the wilderness, we will grow through it victoriously. As Christine says, the wilderness can ultimately lead to freedom if we let God work in us completely and if we embrace the process fully. I love picturing the Lord literally carrying us through wilderness seasons; so gently, yet firmly, full of grace, love, wisdom, and sovereignty.Hillsong United's song, Wonder, also expresses this positive outlook on wilderness seasons in our lives:

I see the world in graceI see the world in gospelI see the world Your wayAnd I’m walking in the lightI’m walking in the wonderYou’re the wonder in the wildTurning wilderness to wonder

Wilderness into wonder...only God can do such a thing! Praise be to Him for knowing just what we need to go through in order to get closer to Him, so He can get us to where He wants us...where is BEST for us.Are you going through a wilderness season now or have been through one that forever changed you in the best way possible? We would love to be inspired by your story and pray for you as well. xo

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