Hey friends! A little while ago I asked for questions about faith, advice, life, etc. so I thought it would be fun to give some input and answer them on here!
How do you stay inspired to read the Word?
Sometimes it is hard to stay centered in the word and actively read. I know how busy life can be, sometimes the only time we open the Bible is at church, if even that. A lot of times when I don't know what verse or chapter to read, I simply google "verses for joy," "motivational verses," "verses of hope," etc. This really helps me center my focus on a specific emotion, which helps me comprehend God's word more thoroughly.
Even more, I remind myself that God's word is our way to understand His promises. From the very start of Genesis we can see that God has a purpose for our broken world. The Bible tells an incredible story that cannot be overlooked, so the best way to understand it is to simply read it!
But... the Bible can seem confusing sometimes. Some parts are just hard to break down (@ the old testament), so its totally ok to turn to google or a church leader or maybe even a friend for help. Don’t be intimidated by reading the Bible because although it can be hard to understand, once we see what God is promising us, it is SO worth it!
My freshmen year I set out to read the entire Bible straight through. Let me tell you, I know how hard it is to sift through genealogy and laws and all the crazy things in between... but when we really do read through these things we can find "hidden gems" that are all throughout the Bible. For example, the prayer of Jabez (Chronicles 4:9-10) is smack dab in the middle of king's genealogy, but it is such powerful verse that is often overlooked because we only take chunks of the Bible out. And there are so many more instances of this, guess you'll just have to read to find out ;)
Plus, every time we read scripture we can learn something new! No matter how many times we read one verse or chapter or book God reveals new things to help us better understand His love. So, keep reading, my friends! I promise it will be worth it.
What are some of your favorite Scripture verses?
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” -Ecclesiastes 3:11
“Let us rejoice when we run into problems and trials for we know they help us develop endurance. And endurance adds to strength of character. And character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” - Romans 5:3-4
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” - Philippians 4:6
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”
- Proverbs 16:9
“However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” - 1 Peter 4:16
“I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.”
- Psalms 63:4
How do you overcome apathy about God?
This question hit me HARD... I’ve felt this way too many times before. And I want you to know you are not alone in asking it! Faith is a lot harder than it seems on the surface level... doubt & questioning & disbelief are all real and they are all working to pull us away from the Lord. But God is steadfast & patient & willing to transform us. He will wait for you and guide you to Him.
My sophomore year, I went through all the motions: church, youth group, saying prayer at dinner... but I was definitely starting to feel apathetic and indifferent towards God. Prior to this, I was on fire for God! And I can’t tell you exactly what happened, but all of the sudden, I just didn’t really prioritize my faith anymore. I can so clearly remember my mom saying, “Emory, I don’t see the Jesus in your eyes any more.” These few words sparked a change in me because I realized I didn’t want to sit around going through the motions and viewing God as a “maybe.” But one of my favorite things about faith is that God keeps working & providing & fulfilling whether we believe in Him or not. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a love that I wanna be apart of!
I think a lot of the times our apathy regarding faith is due to our fear and pride. We fill the empty parts of our hearts up with things of this world instead of His promises & word. We use earthly relationships and activities and whatever else to provide an excuse to drift away from God, because deep down, I think all of us are a little scared to place our lives in the hands of the Lord. A lot of times we think our way of life is better than His way, so we allow pride and doubt to create a sense of apathy as a guard to help us preserve our sense of self. In this world, we are constantly being bombarded about what we find our identity in or who we really are, and I think most of us struggle to answer those questions. But lemme tell you... our sense of “self” is most clearly found when we turn to JESUS. He holds our tomorrow, our hearts, our fears & questions, our answers, everything. HE defines YOU.
Maybe your apathy is caused by something else. Maybe its a loss or tragedy or resentment. but whatever it is, know God is real and reaching towards you. Don’t be afraid to take the first step!
Going back to my sophomore year, I began literally forcing myself to pray and read the Bible. The devil created doubt that wanted me to push faith away, but even in this time of uncertainty, I knew I couldn’t put my faith on hold. I prayed about literally everything. “God, thank for this sunset.” “God, help me on this math test” “God, I need you.” Prayer does NOT have to be eloquent or complicated or long. it just needs to be you talking to God. By praying continually, I made it to a habit and I began seeing God in my life again. I realized that God never stopped talking to me or showing me the way, I was just the one who stopped listening. The noise in this world is so LOUD, but we have a Savior who’s roar is even LOUDER.... we just have to want to listen.
In Proverbs 4:4-5 the Lord says, “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them.” The Lord wants us to work towards understanding Him through His word. Even more, when we begin working towards gaining some of His wisdom, I fully believe He helps us along through His holy spirit and presence. Don’t be afraid to dive into His word and wisdom. He will provide, whether you believe He will or not. May His presence bless you & fulfill you.
I hope the answer to this question helped a little bit... always feel free to reach out to me if you want to talk about it more or need advice! I am sending lots of prayers your way, my friend.
How's SIBO?
This is kind of a complicated answer because we have so many questions about SIBO still, but right now I have been doing well! I have not gotten sick in about 4 or 5 weeks which is absolutely AMAZING! However, I did get retested for SIBO and my bacteria levels are higher than they were originally, which is very confusing (because my symptoms are lessened and I already underwent treatment) and it also means I will start another round of medication in about a week or two to try to eliminate all bacteria. My doctor still can't make sense of all my health issues and he has no answers regarding why my bacteria levels are growing, but I know my lack of symptoms is due to God's healing and laying over me.
Thank you for all your continued prayers and support, it really means so much to me!
Do you journal? If so, how?
Yes, I love to journal! I got four new journals for Christmas if that says anything about me, hehe.
I am literally the most extra journaler there is, I have a different one for literally everything.
Here’s how I typically break it down:
Prayer Journal:
I have had this journal for a little less than three years and I just used the last page. It feels crazy to close this chapter of my life because this journal holds so much emotion and thoughts and prayers. I love looking back on my old prayers and seeing how far God has carried me.
Bullet Journal:
I’m not really sure if this can even be considered a bullet journal because it is a suuuuuper simplified version, but i basically just use it to track my days and plan out the major events for the month.
Sermon Notes:
I typically just write my sermon notes on my church bulletin and stick it in my Bible, but I have so many that they are constantly falling out so I started a journal just for church notes. I change up my note taking style literally all the time so here are some examples of my sermon notes:
Blog Journal:
This is just a journal to organize my thoughts for my blogs and keep me motivated to post new ones! If you can’t tell by now, I kinda love organization & planning. #lit
Thank you! I know this blog post was a little different than normal, but I loved hearing from y’all and answering your questions! Thank you for reading!
If you ever have questions or need advice or prayers, don’t hesitate to message me!
love,
emory :)
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