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