What Made Her Strong

"What made her strong was her faith in God because despite the downs, she knew that she would soon rise."


   This quote came to me recently and I was so amazed at how powerful a strong woman of God can be. I look at all of the things going on in this world. Women are being raped and abused, have zero self esteem, and feel as if all of their strength is gone. I know how it feels because I have been in that dark and lonely place before. I had been living a life of seclusion, hurt, pain, sickness, and worthlessness. and it was not until I began to live my life for God that I completely understood that all of my help, all of my strength, my love, my health, my self esteem came from God. I think about one of my favorite scriptures:

I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help, My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth."

                                                                                -Psalm 121:1-2
 
    I think about this scripture because the only way you can lift your eyes to the hills is if you are below the hill. If you are in your valley moments. God can be your help! You have to want God for yourself, seek God for yourself. I was so grateful to have a praying mother and father, however, in order to be in the place that God wanted me to be, I had to learn to seek God for myself. When I talk about where God has brought be from, I just weep because God didn't have to do it but he did. God allowed me to experience the things that I did so that I may be the person that I am today trying to encourage others with my personal testimony. God doesn't care what you have done in your past and where you are in your present. God cares what you are going to do from here on out. We have all done things that we are not necessarily proud of, I raise my hand high regarding that statement. But what everyone doesn't know but should is that God can bring you out. "What made her strong was her faith in God because despite the downs she knew that she wold soon rise, She was a Church Girl and that Church Girl was me!"


If you have not heard my testimony click the link below:
My Testimony




Much Love and God Bless
~Crystal

Chic Product of the Week: Color Me Foundation Applicator

I recently ran across a product that I am sure any woman who wears makeup will love! The Color Me Foundation Applicator is a pulsating applicator that mimics finger tapping which provides the look of a more smooth and even toned foundation. The kit is sold exclusively at ULTA Beauty HERE and includes:

• 1 Applicator Device
• 1 Disposable Sponge for Liquid Foundation
• 1 Disposable Sponge for Powder Foundation
• 1 CR2032 Battery

If you are one that wants a simple foundation technique that gives you professional results, this may be the product for you! 

Enjoy!

Much Love and God Bless!

~Crystal 

2015 Nail Trend: Negative Space Nails

Photo Credit: Pinterest 

Have you ever loved a nice cutout but wanted to remain modest while wearing it? Well, this nail trend won't give you the look of that cutout dress, but has been called the cutout dress for the nails. The negative space manicure doesn't require a base color, giving the illusion of nail lacquer floating across your nails. This is a trend that I am definitely trying soon! 

Checkout a couple more examples:

Photo Credit:From Head to Toe

Photo Credit and Tutorial:Nailicious

I hope this is something that you all would like to try!

Much Love and God Bless!

~Crystal

The Church Girl's Guide to the Life She Wants

A few years ago, I was in a place of darkness and felt as if there would be no escape. God came in and turned everything around for me and since then, I am not only living the life that I want, but the life that God wants for me. So many women that I have met are so surprised with my testimony, which you can read HERE. I am asked all of the time about the steps that I am taking to live the best life that I can live. I am not Oprah and I do not have billions of dollars, however, I have the Lord God Almighty who has and will always move me into his direction. Do you want to live the life that you want? Do you want to know how to connect with God to live the life that God desires for you? Well keep reading to find out!

• Before you start moving forward, you must first learn to forgive yourself of past mistakes.
• I have learned in order to move forward the only reason to look back is to see how far you have come. We may grow up in the church or some women are just beginning their spiritual journey and although God is now the center of our lives, at some point he was on the back burner.  You may have went left when God specifically told you to go right. You may have dated the wrong person, committed a sin, dropped out of school, etc. and you may have asked God for forgiveness but you have not forgiven yourself. I have fornicated when I knew I wasn't suppose to and that was something that I knew that I had to be delivered from. I thought because I was no longer a "virgin" I was unclean, used and worthless. But then I remembered 2 Corinthians 5:17
• "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new"
• New- unused, fresh, novel. New is used in regard to form or quality, than new in reference to time. 
• Remember God is the only person that can judge us, not even you can judge you. God has wiped your slate clean so that you may live for him brand new.
• Understand that all things work together
• Sometimes in life we question God. I know that I have had many times while I was in my suffering and sickness. I did not understand why God had me, a good person, a person that has never wronged anyone, going through the things that I was going through. I want you to know that we all have those moments of weaknesses.  We have to remember that we live in flesh. Jesus who was the son of God questioned God while on the cross (Matthew 27:46) with his cry of dereliction (abandonment). This was a man who had never sinned and he ended up paying the price for humanity's sin while on the cross. We are human and because we are human we may not completely understand God's plan for our lives. We are going to get to that point a little later, however, we first need to understand that God always has a plan no matter how ugly, uncomfortable, unbearable your current situation is, know that God has a plan! Romans 8:28 displays this idea which may allow you to understand this point a little better.
• "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose."
• Purpose- This word suggest a deliberate path, a proposition, an advance plan, an intention, a design. 
• Remember some of the best things that can happen to us may begin with some of the worst things that can happen to us. Continue to stay encourage and allow God to lead you into the right direction. 
• Discover you PASSION which may reveal your PURPOSE!
• For so many years I would ask God "What is my purpose?" "Lord why did you bring me here on this earth?" I never realized until recently that my purpose would be found in my passion.  Now a lot of people may say, " I really don't have a passion Crystal" and I have one thing to say,"It is OK". One thing I have realized is that I was lead to my purpose by following the lead of the Holy Spirit. I love fashion and beauty so much! I love playing in clothes and makeup, however, my true passion is to help other people. I would wonder why did I go through the things that I went through, only to find that God needs to get the glory out of my life! I am able to testify to people who may be going through their own situation and that brings so much joy to my heart! God knows the plans that he has for us. Sometimes we go to God for money, jobs, cars, husbands, etc., however, we do not seek the Lord for his purpose. This is so important because Purpose is the deepest place we find meaning and satisfaction in life. I do not care if only one person reads this blog, if I am able to touch that one person, my purpose is being fulfilled. 
• Remember that your purpose will never go against God!
• Never Lose Sight of What is Important
• Your purpose will never go against God. That was the key to the last point. You have to continue to be the woman that God is molding you to be. As God begins to bring you out of your suffering, you can never forget to continue living for God. We are nothing without God. We should be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We are blessed to be a blessing. If you want to live a better life, remember to always keep God first! 
• Never get comfortable starting over!
• I am on a weight loss journey through this Mind, Body and Spiritual Journey that I am on and I have started over so many times. I would workout for a couple of weeks and start over 6 months later. This became a recurring thing that I would always do. I told myself that this is the body that God has allowed me to borrow. I wouldn't ruin a car that someone allowed me to borrow, so why allow this body. I set a goal, and I am abiding by this goal in order to become healthy. Here are a couple of tips to goal setting:
• Make the goal attainable
• Remind yourself of your goal
• Never get comfortable with the thought of starting over.
• Anything that you are trying to do, whether it is losing weight like me, going back to school, starting a new career, buying a car, buying a house, etc., remember to set a goal and never want to start over again! 

You can have the life that God has intended for you to have but you have to remember that just because you are "saved" now doesn't mean that life will become easy. We all have trials and tribulations but remember to continue to have faith in God. I have so much to say and I may do a Part 2 if you all would like. Just let me know in the comments. But I did not want to make the post too long. I do not know who you all are but I love you all so much with the love of the Lord! If you have any personal questions you can always email me @churchgirl8819@hotmail.com

Much Love and God Bless!

~Crystal 

The Church Girl's Devotional

“Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God I trust in thee; let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.

                                                                            -Psalm 25:1-2

Every time I think about how good God has been to me, I smile because I know that he is not finished with me yet. God has a way of proving to you what he has always told you. Learn to trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. Lift up your soul to the Lord and know that your enemies will never win! The Bible never stated that we wouldn't have weapons formed against us, however, the Bible does say that those weapons will never prosper. Keep saying to yourself, “For I know that you favor me Lord because you wouldn't let my enemy triumph over me.”

Prayer

Lord, I pray for whoever reads this post today. Touch them in a might way father. Give them the peace in their heart that they will need in the time of their storms. Lead the in the right direction and guide them to their destiny. Allow them to know that you are on their side that you will be faithful to them. Open up door of opportunities for them Lord that no enemy can shut. Allow them to always lift up their souls unto you and allow you to guide them along the way!

Black Opal Color Splurge Luxe Creme Lipstick: Wine Not "My New Fall Fav!

    Lately I have been obsessed with lipsticks and I had to share this particular one with you all because this is a new fall favorite of mine. The lipstick is called "Wine Not" by Black Opal. The color is apart of the Color Splurge Luxe Creme Lipstick collection. In the picture I added a liner to make it a little darker for a different look, but I will add a swatch below: 

    The color is creamy and glides onto the lips very smoothly. It is very moisturizing and is said to smooth and restore fullness to lips with it's moisture biding ingredient. It lasts all day long and will only set you back about $8.00 (depending on where you purchase it could be a little less). I bought this lipstick with my own money so this is a very honest review from a very happy customer. I would recommend this lipstick to anyone looking for a bold look for fall. You can purchase this lipstick HERE  on the Black Opal website or your local drug store.

Much Love and God Bless!

~Crystal

The Church Girl's Guide to Fasting Day 10: How Fasting can change your life forever!

Hello Hello Hello Everyone!
   I hope your day is going as well as mine! God is simply amazing and I am so happy that I have a chance to serve him every day! Throughout this series, I have done more reading and research on fasting than I have ever done! God had opened my eyes to a new way of life and I am so grateful for that. I realized that spiritual fasting is something that can benefit me in so many ways:

• Spiritually
• Learning to sacrifice
• Opening to heart to God
• Resisting temptation
• Learning to hear God with a spiritual ear
• Physically
• Health
• Weight
• Appetite
• Emotionally

    It is important that we continue to fast in order to reap the benefits of fasting. God wants us to resist temptation, he wants us to hear from him, he wants us to be in good health, but in order to do this God wants us to realize that feeding our spiritual man is more important than feeding our bodies. Fasting says, "God you are more important than anything my body loves!" Fasting can change your life forever! You just have to realize that God is important!

Much Love and God Bless!

~Crystal