Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Twelve

                                                                           

  All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

                                                                                                                                      John 1:3

                     In our everyday lives it can be hard to stop, and look at our surroundings. When was the last time you walked in a park? Wriggled your toes in the sand? Marveled at the setting of the sun or the magical pale glow of the full moon?  

            

                 The world is truly a beautiful place to behold! God was so creative and thoughtful when he made it. 

                  I challenge you today to be thoughtful of how you spend your time? Will you spend it with always looking to the future?  Or will you take moments out of your day to be in the present. Glorifying his creation and enjoying it?  

Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Eleven

                  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

                                                                                                    Philippians 4:6-7

                        Things in our lives can be so confusing, scary, devastating or joyful. In the ups and downs what do you do? Do you look to yourself, the people around you or; do you turn to God?

     

                                                                                  

                                                 

                        Often the first thing we do is seeing what we can fix or handle before turning to God. We try to figure it out on our own strength.

                        I challenge you today, do not try it on your own. Turn to God. Whether it be asking for help, telling him your fears, worries, and heartache. Or even if your joyful and thankful. In everything, turn to the Lord. He wants to speak to you. He's listening.                                     

Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Ten

                    
                  "Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God." 
                                                                                                                         Leviticus 26:1

                    It can be terrifyingly easy at times to make an idol without realizing it. It can be a friend, family member, a sports team, a co-worker, your husband, a Doctor, an actress or actor, a singer. It can even be objects. Books, magazines, a family heirloom, clothing, shoes, make-up, movies. The idol worship is endless. 
       
                   Are there any idols in your life now?

                                         
          Idol worship takes God away from his rightful place. We place something or someone at the top that could never fill God's shoes.

            I challenge you today to take a few minutes today to talk to God and let  him search your heart and show you if you are worshiping something else other then him.    

Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Nine

                     The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
                                                                                                                             Psalm 34:18

                              As human beings all of us had our hearts broken in one way or another. It may have been broken by your first boyfriend, a best friend, a group of people, and so on. Who has broken your heart? Can it ever be mended? Is it too late?

                           
                             A broken heart can be so painful. It can even cause pain to those who are close to you. Most of all it causes pain to the Lover of your soul. He hates to see you think of your hurts and hold onto them with such a tightly clenched fist. 

                            I challenge you to open your hands. Take the walls away from your heart and let God in. Lean into his arms and cry. Let him love you, comfort you and heal you. 

Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Eight

         "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."

                                                                                                                 Matthew 12:30

                         It's so easy to let the media and Hollywood make the choices for us on what to wear, eat, say, look like and so on. We really don't realize how much they control us. We even let our friends and family control us.  When was the last time you said something that you thought of yourself?

                                   

                     Taking chances is a part of what makes us different from the world. We as people naturally stay still and silent. Not wanting to move or get unwanted attention. 

                      I challenge you to stand up, stop sitting back and letting others choose for you. Take chances and put your full trust in Christ to live boldly in speech and action.  

                                                        

Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Seven

                          "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

                                                       John 3:16

          Do you sometimes wonder how anyone especially God love you? You may feel like the scum of the earth. An ugly little thing that doesn't deserve any kind of love. 

                                                 

       It's perfect that I'm writing about this today. I feel like that right now. I'm say this to you and me as well. Raise your face to God. Stop looking around and look up. 

        I challenge you to read Luke 7:36-50. It's about the woman who washed Jesus feet with her tears and hair. I know for me at times I feel like I'm to sinful and dirty to enter God's presence. But, then he (Jesus) reminds me of his blood. That he has cleansed me and his love is always there when I am in need of it. 

Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Six

                            So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
                                         Revelation 3:16

                              In this day and age being tolerant is being encouraged and even forced onto people.  Black and white is being blurred more and more each day. Now our morals, standards and Truth is becoming confusing and complicated. 

                           
                           It's easy to follow the crowd and not stir up negative emotions towards you. We want to be liked and not make things uncomfortable for us.

                            I challenge  you to stand for Christ. To not stand down when friends, family or even strangers ask you why you believe what you believe. And even for you to challenge them on what's the Truth and ask them questions that will get them to think and question what they believe.   

The Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Five

              Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;  but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 
                                                                   Proverbs 31:30

                   You know as a woman it's so hard at times to gaze at your reflection and start to pick apart how you wish you could change parts of your body. You want to ask your reflection who the fairest of them all is and hope the reply be that you are the fairest, the most beautiful and charming woman in the world!! But, it just doesn't feel like enough.

                     It doesn't matter how old you are. Whether you be 12 or you be 60 you could loath you're body with a passion. 

                    Here's a challenge for you. Next time you look in the mirror don't say hateful things. Look at the positive things about yourself you like. Thank God for those things he made about you. Mark your Bible and highlight verses where God talks about how much he loves you and how you are precious in his eyes.    

The Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Four

                   

         
    I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
                                                                                                                                     Psalm 32:1-11

                     Do you feel like your completely alone in this world? Like all the things you do wrong and the bad words you say and think will never change? You try to "fix" yourself on your own but, it never gets better. It just feels like there's no point. Your stuck where you are.

                 Thankfully that is far from the truth.  Jesus is always there to pick us up when we fall. When the burdens of life and our sin is to heavy to carry bring them to the cross. 

                 I challenge you to not turn to God as the last resort but, to turn to him when you first start to feel overwhelmed, stressed, afraid, worthless etc.  

Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Three

         For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

         Psalm 139:13-14

         Some of you may have heard about the shocking truth revealed about Planned Parenthood.  A pro-life group went in with a hidden camera and caught one of the doctors talking about selling the bodies and organs of babies for profit!!!!  It's so appalling and sick!

                                   

             Sisters, we have been fighting for our right to do whatever we want with our bodies.  That fight is interfering with the lives of those who are helpless to speak and fight for their lives.  I challenge you to stand for life and stop letting heartless doctors brainwash women to abort babies and take precious young lives for profit.     

Barlow Girl Challenge: Day Two

      "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled for compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."

                                                                                                     Luke 15:20

                       

            It's happened many times in your life hasn't it? It's happened to me as well. You think about many things. Worry about many things. You could even be excited about many things. Then, we can find ourselves lost. Wandering away from God. Not knowing what to do next. Not knowing where to turn. Will there be a happy...or at least joyful ending to this tragedy?        

                        Don't fear, God is there for you in the times when you wander away from him. 

                       The question I want to ask you today is, when your heart wanders from our Father, are you trying to figure things out on your own and then ask for help when you've exhausted yourself out, or; do you go to him first?   

The Barlow Girl Challenge: Day One

            

           "You  are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. "

                                                Matthew 5:14-16

         Hello ladies, it's been a bit since last I wrote. So much has been happening to gay marriage being legalized, shootings,strife, and anger. Pretty much, life has been happening and the madness seems to never end! Thankfully there is no need to worry because Jesus came into the world to save us from our sin. We have hope that we won't suffer the coming judgment and we'll live in peace with God one day for eternity. 

        But wait a minute! We cannot just continue living our lives the way we want and ignore the pain in this world. Because of Christ we can be bold and live our lives for him. To be a light to the darkness and warn others of the coming judgment. 

        For two weeks (14 days) I will be doing a Barlow Girl challenge. I started to listen to my Barlow Girl CD's the other day and it was like I was listening to their music for the first time! I love them because there music is awesome and challenging. What more could you ask for?!

Today's song is "Song for the Broken." Listen to this and think of those in your life or even those on TV who put up a facade of everything being fine. They proclaim they don't need to be rescued or saved.  Listen to this song and after that will be a challenge for you. 

             Now that you've listened to this song what can you do? I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and pray for the broken around you. Ask God what he want's you to do or how he can use you to be a salt to them.