by Crystal Campbell, Communications Volunteer

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Eph. 3:16-19

I am a big fan of a television show from the 80’s called A Different World. On one particular episode, Gladys Knight visited the school campus letting students audition to be her back up dancers for a special video. Jaleesa and Whitley both wanted the spot. Two friends now with their eye on the prize (fame and fortune) began going overboard and doing underhanded tricks to make sure they were the ones chosen. In the end, they were beat out by another girl with whom they had auditioned. Ever feel that’s what your life is like, always striving to do more, to be better, but in the end, it just doesn’t add up? In case you’ve ever felt the sting of missing the mark, it’s good to know that with God, there is no favoritism. Romans 2:11 He doesn’t say you’re pretty good or not as good as the person next to you. To Him you are sublime, His best idea and second to none.

Because he has placed His treasure in earthen vessels, he wants you to shine like to gem you are. Living a pure life means letting him clean away the dirt and grime that normally surrounds His Diamonds in the rough. Understanding why we walk in purity is a simple as A B C.

All About Love. The whole reason for our existence, what we see with our eyes, feel with our hands, and taste with our mouths is because God loves us! Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights. (James1:17) God loved us so much that took His love to extremes for you, He went overboard!!! God sent his only son Jesus to die for your sins and mine that we might be free from sin, death, and ourselves. Christ understood there is more than the ‘here and now’ and that there is better to live a surrendered life to God now, because greater is coming.

Belief. Know intimately in whom you believe. The hard part in belief is that you are constantly challenged to reason away, excuse, or even discount the truth. And God’s truth can seem even harder to believe because it goes against our humanistic nature to trust ourselves, that we know what’s best. We say to ourselves, “God doesn’t understand,” but He actually understands more than we can comprehend and that is why He tells us to trust Him. Trust in the God of the universe and take his word as the truth that defines everything we do. When we do that it enables us to walk in His blessings, find purpose for your life, be adopted into His Royal Family thereby making us sons and daughters of the King, with all the royal privileges.

Consequences. God loves us and wants to keep us from the consequences of sin. Sin is like a Bayou, it’s sculpted fairly well, the water may be blue, and may even have nice green grass around it, however it is not a place for swimming. Even so, from time to time, there seems to always be people that see it as a place of refreshing, a great place to do fishing, or just harmless fun. The difference between it and other bodies of water is that the waters are not good to drink, there are typically mosquitoes that hang about, and almost most certainly snakes. I know the picture I paint seems a daunting one, however it is real. Your enemy wants nothing more than to have you playing in bayous instead of rivers or oceans. The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) When we live a life of continued sin, we do three things – We surrender our authority, we separate ourselves from an intimate relationship with God, and we succumb to results of sin. God wants more for you and me. He wants us to live in abundance, free from the weight and guilt of it all. For this to be true we have to invite Jesus to be Lord of our lives and Holy spirit to guide our every way. Your enemy doesn’t take a day off so why should you? Arm yourself with the Love of God. A wise person once said “You can choose if you are going to be a warrior or not, but you can’t choose if you’re going to be in a war. We are in a war!”

Be Filled, To Fullness, Until Flooded… with the Great extent and Boundless expanse of the Father’s love for you. Go Overboard!!

Crystal Campbell has 16 years of experience in finance, sales, and marketing. She is a creative thinker with great interpersonal and problem solving skills. If you have any questions about this article or if you are a survivor who would like advice that addresses specific concerns about your finances, please feel free to contact Crystal through LaFASA at kelli@lafasa.org.