Hannah Elise: SOME PERSONAL THOUGHTS

On my recent goals post many of you mentioned how much you liked my 'personal' updates on here.

That surprised me a little, but I've been thinking how I could do more of those.

Honestly I don't feel like my personal, everyday life is very interesting or 'blog-worthy' haha,

but I'll try to share more in that area. :)

The past few days I've been loving Colossians and have been struck by the passage
in chapter 2 about how we are complete in Him.

And really every lie or sin we are tempted with boils down to whether we believe that truth or not.

If I really am complete in Christ, then I don't need _____ to satisfy me.

But do I really believe that? Do I live like that?

I don't know about you, but my head gets turned so many different directions each day.

Overwhelmed by a busy life and hectic schedule.

Trying to keep up with social media and yet realizing how often it doesn't even matter.

Feeling stretched so many different directions.

I picked up my Bible yesterday morning and it flipped open to Jonah, so I read through it.

Towards the end of those chapters it stood out to me how the King in Ninevah took Jonah's words seriously and recognized them as God's voice, listened and acted on it.

Do I approach the Bible that same way? Do I make the choice to hear God's voice above all others and act on it?

I love the passage in Ephesians 4 about how if we are truly learning Christ we will HEAR Him and be taught by Him to put off the old man, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man.

I don't know about you but I want to be taught by Jesus and that starts with hearing + believing His voice.

Lies bombard us all day, every day it can seem..but whose words really matter?

Just some thoughts that have been swirling in my mind, and I'm preaching at myself as I type this.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed thinking about how much of a mess I am in my sin nature, anyone else?

I was reminding myself today that when I accepted Christ as Savior I knew I couldn't do it my own, so what makes me think in the sanctification process that I've 'got this'?

Seeing your own need is humbling, and I feel like I've been learning it a lot lately.

Also recently I've realized how my devotional life in the mornings was slacking off..

I was always reading my Bible each day, but it was maybe just a quick chapter in the morning (after scrolling through instagram for 20 minutes, let's be real) and wasn't as foundational in my life as it could have been. So I put myself on a new schedule where I do 30 minutes each morning, before any social media at all. Not gonna lie, the first few days it felt like a long chunk of time (compared to what I had been doing) but after about a week or so I started to love it.

It's amazing how taking a step of action can channel your desires.

I also did a memorization project with another friend in August, which was really good.

I'd encourage you if you've been thinking "oh, I should really do such and such" to just begin.

God doesn't expect perfection from us, just progress.

"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life."

Romans 6:21