getting in the swing of things!

Starting school, for me, has been something I have been looking forward too. It means moving back to school, starting classes that apply to my major (Social Work) and being with my roommate & friends which all get me really excited! I have loved the first 2 day of classes. I have already learned more about the different of fields of practice there are (family and child services, mental health, geriatric services or school social work), the populations you can work with (homeless, physically disabled, adoption or foster care), and I will be able to visit all of these different fields, and more, in my Social Work in the Settings class when we take field trips to different agencies. I am very excited and hopefully God will show me what I do and do not have a talent for. Check out the Social Work program at RWC if you'd like at: (I'm even in the picture of the home page, in the yellow shirt!) 

http://www.roberts.edu/Academics/divisions/social_work/bsw/

In my Purity Devotional book, the past sections have dealt with your heart, being single-minded, and being clear-sighted so that we are NOT double minded for God. We should have ONE desire. To focus on the LORD and to make our hearts be the most pure that the Holy Spirit is trying to achieve in us. We can NOT obtain full purity, unless we it starts in our hearts. I have come to the "Pure in Body" section. This chapter deals with your  outward appearance and physical body. This is definitely something I personally struggle with, and you may too. It is hard to say NO to temptations that i face everyday, and offer up my body as a sacrifice to God from Him to use.

A Pure Woman Offers God Her Body

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

- Romans 12: 1-2

Do you know how much God wants of you?? ALL of you. Your heart, desires, plans, hopes, emotions, goals and everything else. But how can you do that if you are tempted to use your body to satisfy yourself? There is a daily battle we are faced with and that is why offering our bodies to God is a daily sacrifice, that must become a routine. The more you offer yourself to God the more pure you will become and you will resemble your SAVIOR more and more! In verse 2, Paul gives us 2 steps/actions: 1) not to be conformed to this world and 2) renewing your mind. Controlling what you think about can really determine your purity. If you are obsessed with catching up on the latest gossip, constantly trying to keep up on all the latest trends, or never going out in public with make-up on, than you probably don't have a pure mind set. You would be focusing on things of this world and consuming feeding off of those things, rather that feeding off God. (I admit, I find myself caught up in these things form time to time. But this is a battle that I am facing every single day and I know that I am not doing this alone. I have Jesus to help me through everything that I do. Philippians 4:13 " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me") 

"Guarding what we watch, read and hear isn't legalism. It's just sanctified common sense." -Lydia Brownback

The challenge for this devotional is for YOU to take out one thing from your daily routines that is holding you back from growing closer to God and becoming more pure in body, mind and spirit. Whether it is your make-up, that TV show you "must watch" every day, the magazine with the latest celebrity gossip in there or even wearing expensive designer clothing just for the labels. Take IT out of your sight and out of your mind and see how your priorities change. Pray to God and offer yourself to Him, today! After all, He is your Heavenly Father. :)