You are Not Your Own

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples(A) of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;(B) 20 you were bought at a price.(C)Therefore honor God with your bodies.(D)

We are not  our  own

We are  stewards of these  vessels God  has  graciously  given us.  With this in mind how we  care for  this  gift is  vital in our reverence  of  God and   the  holy spirit that lives within us. When your read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20  a  shift in your  mindset  should begin  when you think of   our  body  as  a  investment that  Christ sacrificed himself for.

It is  our  responsibility to  be   mindful of the kind of  relationships we  connect ourselves to. How and who you choose to share your  body  is an reflection of  how important  the will of God is to you. 

1 Corinthians 6:16 (CEB)  16 Don’t you know that anyone who is joined to someone who is sleeping around is one body with that person? The scripture says, The two will become one flesh.[b]

I  realize that   nowadays   premarital sex  isn't  really  a  "thing"  to some and  it  is common place to carelessly engage in relationships with no end goal.  But  what I want you take away from this is that  you are more than a  warm body in someones  bed and the ties  that you create are lasting.  What we often don't realize is that there is no such thing as  sex with no  strings attached there is always a price.  Think of  each encounter as one  that ties into your life's story .  Now ask yourself  Is a  hookup worth being attached to?

We must weigh out the cost of the decisions we make and what  the   outcome looks like for us.  Leaving a  trail of  regret isn't   something no one wants to be attached to.   The good  news is that  God  always gives you a  way of  escape, you have  options.  You don't have to be conquered by your flesh.  Cling to Gods  word and  keep it at the forefront  of your mind so when  you are met with temptation you are  armed and ready to  fight through it!

Meditate on this:

1 Corinthians 10:13 (CEB)13 No temptation has seized you that isn’t common for people. But God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that you will be able to endure it.

Love,

Discontentment: Do you Have The Case of "I'll be Happy When?"....

Hebrews 13:5 (ERV)5 Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said,“I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.” (A)

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So many of us  have a  case of  the  " I'll be happy when"

I'll be happy when  I'm  married, I'll be happy when I  get  a new  house or when I get the perfect job.  The  truth is that you can acquire all of those things and still feel empty in search of  the "next thing". If I'm being honest  I've   wasted  a lot of time  waiting for the perfect  circumstance and what  I've learned is  that  there is no perfect  circumstance especially  when   I'm blinded by  discontentment .

If I am empty and in  search of  something or someone    to  fill my voids I'll  most likely remain the same  empty  person when I have  those things.  The  only thing that  people or things  fill up in your time;  Only  God  can  fill you, pour  into  you all the you need and all that  you didn't know you needed.  Remember,  you cannot  fill a  God  sized  void with anything other the  God himself.

Discontentment is   tactic of  the devil to  discourage you  from living in the grace you have right now.  If we are   always looking  ahead we will surely   miss out on the now  and  what  God is doing right now in this very moment. Living in  discontentment   is  essentially  minimizing  God and  his work in us.

 I don't know about you but I want to  present I don't miss a moment  of  what  the Lord is doing right now within me.  If anything I  want more of  God , I want Him to fill me with  His wisdom and love so that when  I find love,  become  established in my  career or own my dream home I will already be whole and  my  happiness will be  based on Christ who lives in me not and not the things I've acquired. 

Let's talk about it: @ Reply me  on Twitter to discuss @lesliallynblogs

•  Do you have  case of the   "I'll be happy whens"  what is your happiness contingent on? 

• How will you seek God to be present in the now?

Love,

Being Thankful in Unfavorable Circumstances

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ERV )16 Always be full of joy. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus.

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You may read  verse  with a  huge  question mark over your head especially when your  current  situation is  less than favorable.   "Whatever happens always be thankful ,  Always be  full of  joy"   How can  I be   when I am in  pain, my heart is  broken and I  have no clue what my next steps are?

There is  more to  the verse you just have to  dig a  little  deeper.   God isn't asking you  to  mask your pain and simply gloss over  your situation.  This  verse encourages  meet your  problems head on and  actively pursue  joy  and heart that is grateful.  Remember God wouldn't drop you in a place/situation that He wouldn't equip you  get through and  find  victory on the other side.  

The season you find yourself in  may be a means to  eliminate any distraction, grow you and  confirm that  you must  rely  on God fully  for  everything.   Joy  comes from God   circumstantial   happiness is fleeting  and can  be totally  dependent on  a person , material things  or a job. Are What you need is something more substantial  and that's the love and  joy that validates, heals , renews  and that is  given freely by the God  that created you.

Don't lose  focus  God is present even  when you feel like you are at a standstill.   Remember there is  purpose for your  pain something you need to learn or experience so that you will be fully capable  of helping someone  else  who may find themselves in a  similar situation.  The  good  news is you will get through this  and  things  will not always be this way and you will be a stronger  person having survived this  season in your life so  keep going!

Love,

You vs. Your Fear: Crushing Fear

Psalm 56:3 (CEV)  but even when I am afraid,  I keep on trusting you.

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Fear is meant to distract you from Christ ...The enemy's  mission is  to isolate you , fill your  mind with  lies  and  convince you that you are  powerless. The truth is  that  there is   great power within you because  the holy spirit  lives in you and   God has equipped you  with  his word  His promises and what He says about you. 

Isaiah 41:10 (HCSB)Do not fear, for I am with you;(A)do not be afraid, for I am your God.(B) I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.

I want to highlight some key words in Isaiah 41:10   : I am with you,   I am your  God , I will strengthen you!  This  verse isn't  obscure  in the slightest  God is  boldly  declaring that  you can  take Him  at his  word and every promise is  golden .  Remember what  He promised is  already  done  and rules out any  fear!

Luke 10:19-20 (ERV)19 He is the enemy, but know that I have given you more power than he has. I have given you power to crush his snakes and scorpions under your feet. Nothing will hurt you.20 Yes, even the spirits obey you. And you can be happy, not because you have this power, but because your names are written in heaven.”

 God has positioned you in  place of  power over the  enemy  you are  not powerless to any of his  tactics  you've  been given all that you need overcome  every attack  from the enemy.  Remember when  you stand  firm  in Gods  word every step that you take God is only steps away and preparing a way for you, and  with Christ every obstacle is  destroyed and you WIN!

Soul ties: Choose wisely

Proverbs 1:10(GW) My son, if sinners lure you, do not go along.

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A soul tie in  essence is  something that you are connected to  on  a deeper level; This can be a  positive or  negative  thing.  So how do you decide   if  the  one your  are connected  to is a  positive thing or  a negative thing? Well  ask  yourself this  is  the relationship that you are  currently connected to  pushing  you  closer or further away from God?

Choosing Wisely....

It is  important to know the intentions of the  people you invest your time with.  Are the two of you on the same page of what you want   out the relationship does your moral compass line  up with him/her?  So many  dive  head first  into a relationship based on  lust or in effort to fill the void of loneliness having    never really  discussed  what each of you require.   Let's be real the cupcake phase will end  and  your clouded  vision will dissipate so when that happens you want to make sure that your time was well spent and that  you have no regrets.

Compromise...

God  has specific intentions  for each our lives  we don't have time to compromise  our values to  please  someone who  doesn't our best interest in mind.   Remember,  your purpose isn't just  for you other  lives are connected to  mission,  your light in this world   shouldn't be diminished in order  to please someone else's self serving  desires. 

What is Love?

Well let's start with what love isn't : Love isn't  pressuring  you into sex before marriage,   love isn't asking to be anyone other than  who God  created you to be , love  isn't  self-serving. Real love  is nurturing each others  purpose and keeping each other  accountable,  love is wanting to the other succeed because  you share the same mission in chasing after the  will of  God.

If you find yourself in a  crossroad in your relationship take time to reevaluate if  where you are is where you  really want to be. Cut  those ties that distract you from  God and leaves  you broken ,  trust that  God  knows exactly what you need and allow Him   to write your love story.

Love,

Mission: Hope Restoration

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Zechariah 9:12 (GWT) Return to your fortress, you captives who have hope. Today I tell you that I will return to you  double blessings.

(Press Play: Listen as you read)

We have   all experienced  periods in   life where you  feel like you're  just barely  keeping your head above  water  and life becomes  so consuming that you become frustrated  and lose hope.  In   this  time  you may  become  very  vulnerable   and it is easy to be distracted by all the things that have disappointed you.

Personally,  I don't  take  disappointment  well at  all and  I find that disappointment is  an emotion that  is very hard for me  to recover from.  There have been events in my life where a promise was broken or  things  just didn't  work out as expected and that pain lingers.  I got to a point where the motto I lived by was " If I don't get my  hopes   up I won't get hurt ".   The problem with this sort of  thinking is that my heart became  hardened , I push  people away and  it  isolates me  within  my  pain.

Recently  I had   moment  that I realized that I was still  carrying around this pain so long that I hadn't noticed that  not only has  my  perspective   isolated me from developing  relationships  with  others but it has also  isolated me   from God and  my hope in Him. 

Up until that point I had never thought about it that way; I didn't  get that  all this time I was just going through the  motions  and  that I  had become  such a  pessimist .  Even as I was praying to  God  there was a part of me that   didn't think I'd see my  prayers come to fruition. If  you  identify with me  and find yourself in the same place It's time to re-calibrate our  point of  view doubt prevents progress.

 What  we  need to remember is that   the mission  of the enemy is to  separate you  from  God  and  fill your mind with lies so you will lose  hope and become distracted from the promises of  God.  Below I've  listed a few verses  to meditate on to  renew our  hope and shut  down every lie from the  enemy!

Jeremiah 29:11(GW) I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.

Romans 8:28(GW)We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God—those whom he has called according to his plan.

Numbers 23:19(GW)God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it.

Stop Chasing after Perfection

Hebrews 4:15 (GNT)  Our High Priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy for our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a High Priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin.

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We  put  a lot  of  unnecessary pressure on ourselves when we begin to chase after  perfection within ourselves, by   comparing  our walk with  Christ versus  another believers  or condemn ourselves when we  fall short. 

The idea of  perfection is  a  distraction  when you spend so  much time   trying to  say the  right  thing, think the right way , do the right thing all that  pressure  will only  result in anxiety.  You don't need to be perfect  you need to change your focus.   God  created you ,  penned  every chapter of  your life  He is  fully aware of where you are now,  every milestone you'll reach ,   your victories and the  setbacks  you will encounter. 

Remember  God is not like man  He will not cast you aside when you fall short,  God loves you He is not  angry  with you  He  sympathizes with you.  The Lord is  present in your situation and   more than  willing to carry the burdens  you've been trying to  carry on your own He will help you through each test that life brings.  He wants to see you succeed; You don't have to  carry the weight  of the world on your shoulder.

Matthew 11:28-3028 (A)“Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 (B)Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. 30 For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.”

You don't have to rely on your  own  strength  but put all your  hope in  the  fact  that  the one who created you  has you in the palm of His hands and cares about you and  every stage your in.  So today resolve to   trust God  with every part  of where you are,  you aren't too far gone for  God to reach you.  Don't chase  perfection   instead  run towards  the Savior with all that you have  and He will direct your path.

 I encourage you to read the entire chapter of Mark 2  but here's a verse I'd  like you to keep in thoughts.

Mark 2:17 (MSG)17 Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit.”

Love,

Toxic Relationships: Knowing When to Walk Away

1 Corinthians 15:33 (GNT)  Do not be fooled. “Bad companions ruin good character.”

All pictures taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Blogs Unless otherwise stated

In  your lifetime  so  many  people  will  come in and out of your life  each   for a different  purpose; Every relationship  will teach you   something about yourself and that is  important.    You'll find in some instances you connect  quickly,   sometimes  it'll be  more   gradual  and then   in some cases there will be  people you'll  just clash  with  altogether.

What's important is what we take away from each relationship.  The lesson in  each instance is deciphering  who  add's to your life , pushes  you to be  a better person and  closer to  Christ vs. those who  constantly  subtract and  drain you.  Not  everyone is  meant to   go in the same  direction as  you  some relationships are toxic and  distract you from your purpose. So going into each relationship weather it's  a  friend  or a significant other  keep your eye's open don't gloss over issues don't hold on to someone based on familiarity.   When that season  is  over   leave it there and move forward.

Now I'm not saying you should  cut every  person off who you have a disagreement with.   What  I'm saying is that you  should    pray  for  discretion in  each relationship.   You need to  know what your purpose is  in the relationship as well.  Is there  advice or  wisdom that they can gain   from knowing you that will help them later down the road? As  believers  you may be the only  window into  Christ that they've  ever  experienced  so  cutting  someone  off  isn't always the answer.  In these instances   listen to the leading of the holy spirit pray and ask for  direction.

Let's talk about it:

Have you every  been in a  toxic relationship; How did you  know when it was time to let that relationship go?

Hiding behind Pain

Psalm 34:17-19(HCSB)The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their troubles.The Lord is near the brokenhearted;He saves those crushed in spirit. Many adversities come to the one who is righteous,but the Lord delivers him from them all.

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Have you ever noticed how  easy it is  to project and ideal image  of  ourselves. We send out  this  representative  ourselves to  the world to  prove that we have everything together,  we have  everything under  control.   But  meanwhile   behind the  mask we're  hiding our  pain, insecurities and  brokenness.

 Forcing yourself to be anything other than  authentic  to who your are  is exhausting  and eventually the pressure of  keeping up appearances  will begin to weigh you down.  Many of  us  fear  being vulnerable  because we  are  afraid of   being judge harshly and  our  feelings  being disregarded. We  don't want to experience anymore pain on top of  what we are  already experiencing. 

The  truth is  hiding our  pain  isolates us  as  we  continue to  bare the weight of our pain day in and day out  with  anything  being resolved.  Remember admitting that  you  are  not  ok and that you are  in pain is not a  sign  of  weakness, it's starting point  of healing .  

You need an positive  outlet  to  pour  your  heart out to  and  that  begins  with  Christ;  It is so  important  that  we   carve out  a  portion of  our day to  really sit at the feet  of  the Lord and express whatever is  going on in your life .  You don't have to live with your  pain  allow the Lord  to   renew your heart and  fill you with  hope  again.  He is   willing and  eager to hear from you so trust Him with your broken pieces.  

Consider  joining  a small group  at your church or  speaking with  a trusted friend or loved one.  Know that you are loved, your life matters and  you will get through this!  I love you and I am praying for you.

Love,

Be the Kind of Love You Seek.

Galatians 5:22-23(CEB) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this.

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Often times when entering into a  potential relationship we have a  set of  expectations . We have this mental  check list of  attributes that  we like and  dislike, so  when we meet  new  people we   begin to judge accordingly.  But are we   developing the  character  attributes that we are seeking?

Be the kind of  love you seek...

It is unfair to  have this list of  expectations  that you haven't begun to cultivate within yourself.   If  you want someone who is  a good listener practice being a  good listener, if  you want someone who is  loving and considerate practice being  loving and considerate,  if you  want someone who  is passionate about Christ then  begin to  deepen your relationship with Christ.  

Ask  God to fill those  gaps in your life...

 You want to be whole and content  with the person that you are so that you don't  look to someone else to  validate you: God  has  already done that through his love for us .

Jeremiah 31:3(NLT) Long ago the Lord said to Israel:“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

 What we should be looking for in a significant other:  is someone that  loves us as we are , pushes us closer to  God and  share the same  common goal of  growing in faith  and  following  Christ with all of our heart.  A  common mistake some make in relationship is  expecting that  once we   meet  "the one"  all our  desires will be  met  and THEN we'll finally be happy.  That's quite a   task for one person  to  take on; What is important is to be  realistic in your expectations  and   that we seek God   to  fill the voids in our hearts  not   man. 

Lastly,  Remember: 

• Be patient  moving into  new relationships, 
• Seek  God  to help you  cultivate   the love within you that you want to experience.
• Your validation comes  from God not from  being in relationship.

Love,

What's Your Sign?

All the advice you receive has made you tired. Where are all your astrologers, those stargazers who make predictions each month? Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds.. -Isaiah 47:13  (NLT )

All photos are taken and edited by Lesli Allyn Unless otherwise stated .

Astrology and associating  yourself  to  a specific  sign  can be a touchy  subject from some  even in spite of the fact that   astrology has been  greatly  diluted over the years.  Some  check their  horoscopes  faithful each day others  won't  date anyone who isn't compatible with their sign.  Even Christians rep  their signs on social  media on their birthdays  hash tag  Scorpio  season! But do we really know the significance  of astrology and what you're subscribing to  or for that  matter  how  God  feels about it?  I strongly  suggest that you do your own research on it's origin and  decide for yourself.

Some  may  comment that it's not that deep  or   attempt to  validate  this practice.  So allow  me to clarify my intentions. I'm not here to  debate or change your mind, the purpose of this post  is   to  create  a  dialogue and to respectfully share  another perspective. 

With that being said in an effort to be  transparent  over the years I would  read  my horoscope here and there and  even  had a  shirt with the word Virgo on it.   Back then I thought it was   the trendy  thing to do and  never  gave  it much thought other than  that.  My perspective has changed over time; I  had to ask myself a few questions. 


Why would  I consult with  the stars  for  answers as opposed to the  the one who created the stars and the universe itself?

Do  really want to  be   clumped with a group of people based on what  is said to be a  "common  character trait"? 

Could I possibly  be missing out on  a amazing   relationship simply because our "signs" are compatible? 


My personal belief is this:   

God has given us  an amazing  resource  through His word and  prayer that  provides more than enough information to help navigate through life,  I am an individual  God  created me completely different from everyone else.  I have my own set of attributes as well as my own set of  flaws  so why would I want to  clump myself in with someone else's?  Lastly ,  As far as relationships go I would  much rather  get to know someone for myself and  make sound  decision  at  the leading of the holy spirit.  


I'd love to hear your  thoughts

•  Is  astrology just not  deep and  just a form of entertainment ?
•  Do  practice it faithfully and swear by it?
• Or is it just not  your thing?

Whatever your  set of  beliefs are let's resolve to  be kind and  respectfully  share our opinions. 

Love,