Christianna's Chronicles

Hello all! God has been SO good to me lately! About a week ago, life seemed really hard and wearisome. I felt distant from the Lord, and it felt like He wasn't feel as real and present as He truly is. Then I realized... I had hardly even read my Bible for several days! No wonder I didn't feel the Lord's presence! I decided to listen to a sermon on my iPod while doing my chores. Actually, I decided to listen to the first part of a 6-part sermon called "True Gospel," by Paul Washer. WOW. It is amazing! Through it God gave me a greater grasp of His holiness, my sin, Christ's sacrifice, and His amazing love and mercy. I was listening to Part 4 last Saturday, doing some chores, and praying. About half-way through, the Holy Spirit started to do a major work in me. I just fell to my knees and cried, realizing how great my sin truly is. Even after the sermon was over, the tears continued to fall as I spent much of the afternoon with the Lord - praying, singing, and reading His Word. Oh, it was so wonderful! My joy was restored as I read in Scripture of God's amazing love and forgiveness.

The Lord has been drawing me closer and closer to Him, raising my standards, purging me of sin, and ripping idols out of my life. Let me tell you - being carved into His image is not easy, and it's usually quite painful. But oh, the joy it brings! There have been a few things I have faced even in this last week that have been very hard, but He is such a Comforter, such a Friend! Please, please pray for me - it's often difficult and painful to let Him smash all of the idols in my life, but it's so necessary! I'm falling more in love with Him, and praying that I will be more like Him. He is so good!