the fight we really need to be fighting

SIN vs. GOD

isn't this the endless battle being fought in the supernatural realm? good vs. evil. ligh vs. darkness.

how much energy do you spend trying to fight against the sin tendencies in your life? how much energy do you spend fighting to get closer to God?

how's that working for you? (w/dr. phil tone)

i am believing more and more that we must put our energies into drawing closer to God, being filled more with His Spirit, and displaying healthy fruit in our lives. if we do this, then we will naturally allow sin less and less in our lives.

have you been stuck in the rut though when you put ALL your energies into fighting sin and have nothing left to go after God? i've been there and it can get frustrating.

i recently had a close friend remind me that i can defeat sin by opening my heart more to God's Spirit and allowing that to change me. my fight is against sin, but i can't line up and fight that 100% of the time, or i will never receive from God all that i need in order to truly change!

remember the house that was swept clean in the Bible, but not filled with more of God? when the enemy returned, he came in 7x stronger and the man was worse off.

i need to sweep my house clean of sin (don't miss my point), but then i need to go after God's Spirit with ALL the energy i have. only then, will i defeat sin. only then will i be who God wants me to be.

start today!

seek His presence, His Spirit, and His heart. do it right now! do it in a few hours! do it tonight! and get up tomorrow and do it again!

do you want change? start by pressing in closer to God!

peace

heat wave

yesterday was definitely one of the most humid days i have experienced in a long time. after the storm blew through, it seemed like you could cut the air with a knife!

we, @ the Valantine house, have been holding out to light up the air conditioner . . . that is until last night. at 3am nash seemed upset and wouldn't fall asleep, and i had tossed and turned for 2+hours, so i gave in. i shut all the windows and began to embrace the cool breeze that we Americans are so fortunate to appreciate.

i fell right to sleep.

in fact, i feel more productive today! i am dreading the grass cutting which in inevitable today. i need one of those helmets with the thermos and a line to my mouth to inhale some H2O as i manicure the lawn.

spiritual implications to all that . . . well, here goes . . .

the storm blowing through can symbolize a fresh encounter with God. often, we can bottom out (dry out) shortly after this experience. we seem to hold out during this dry time thinking we are weak to go back to the source for more refreshing. we kick and scream not wanting to turn the air on because it will cost us something . . . time? energy? sacrifice?

we get frustrated, irritable, and tend to lose sleep during this dry time, when really at any moment, we could turn on the air and experience another round of refreshment, another touch from the source - God!

when we finally give in and return to the source and live in the refreshment, we wonder why we waited so long. it feels so good and seems to make everything go a little smoother. or, we at least fell less irritable.

so, my application for this is . . . experience God today in some way, but don't get satisfied and comfortable with what you get today. go back for more tomorrow, let Him fill you, and then, go spill out on others. 2 days from now . . . repeat the process. 3 days . . . do it again. 4 days . . . well, i think you get the picture!

peace

back . . . again

ok, so i am still struggling with being a consistent blogger. i haven't even looked at the page for 2 months, but today i noticed i have 17 followers. wow, i must be cooler than i thought.

also, Amanda is challenging me to blog more faithfully, so here i am.

some updates in my life over the last few months . . .

(1) everyone had a b-day in the Valantine family except for me (amanda - 30, annie -8, kaitie - 3, nash - 2)

(2) i went to my first PGA Golf practice round at muirfield in Dublin, OH

(3) we celebrated our first Easter at Journey Church

(4) we changed the name of the church to Journey Church!!!

(5) we had our first community outreach - saw 16 new families represented

(6) my great-grandmother (98) passed away - love you gram!

(7) played the drums at my first ever gig (Ohio Girl's Retreat) - well, not really a gig, cause it was volunteer, but had a blast!

(8) took annie to get glasses for first time

(9) connected with a great group of pastors in delaware for fellowship regularly

(10) helped patch some holes in our parking lot with blacktop patch - first time i've done that!

(11) almost killed myself on the church's riding lawn mower - twice!

(12) started tweeting on twitter (check it out twitter.com/mattvalantine)

(13) went diving off cliffs in the cayman islands - jk

well, that should get you caught up on me. check back soon & i will do my best to write some things that might inspire you, challenge you, or encourage you in your faith journey . . .

or you will at least get some laughs at my expense

peace