Lies...All Lies! (#3)

Lie #3: "If I feel something, it must be true."

Wow. If this was true, life would be so much more simple. But it definitely is false. I feel as though most people would deny they believe this, but it's one of those things where you may not believe it in word but in the mind.

"I feel like the Lord has deserted me. Why would he do that?"

"I don't feel like I'm worth anything...I must not be."

"I don't feel saved, so maybe I'm not."

The possibilities go on and on.

I know this is especially difficult for girls, considering they tend to be way more emotional and over think things. I will be the first to admit it. Sometimes, something dramatic will happen and I will let my mind get away from me. Then before I know it, I've come to a conclusion in my head and allow it to become something I truly believe in. It's ridiculous.

But JUST because you feel a certain way, doesn't mean that it is reality. Nancy Leigh DeMoss puts it so clearly, "Truth is that, due to our fallen condition, our feelings often have very little to do with reality. In many instances, feelings are not a reliable gauge of what is actually true. When we allow them to be tied to our circumstances - which are constantly changing - rather than to the unchangeable realities of God and His Truth, our emotions are prone to fluctuate wildly." 

Instead of believing in our own understanding, which is quite minute in comparison with our Creator, we need to focus our mind on the Truth that our Savior offers. "So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him which is the head, into Christ." - Ephesians 4:14-15

Whatever is true...think on such things.

Lies...All Lies! (#2)

Lie #2: "If my circumstances were different, I would be different."

I grew up in a home that looked peaceful and great from the outside, but on the inside was full of turmoil. I am just gonna be honest and tell you that I have been severely emotionally abused. I didn't begin to realize this until I was 15 years old. I started going to counseling, and that's when I saw how emotionally jacked up I was. The abuse had really affected me deeply, and that made me so angry. I began to get bitter inside, although I didn't see it at the time. I started to notice things about myself that were just plain ugly. I would snap back so easily, smart off to my mother, and I almost had a self-hate problem. It's so hard to explain, but it's like I was extremely insecure and hated so many things about myself. Also, I honestly felt worthless. I still have journal entries saved in my computer where I would write that I didn't feel like I meant anything to my family. I said that I didn't add anything positive but only caused trouble and heartache. Of course, this wasn't true, but I sincerely felt that way. It makes me teary just to think about it because I was so deceived. Bitterness of pain had blinded me, but I wasn't willing to see the freedom the Lord was holding out to me. Instead I would say to God, "If you wouldn't have let all of this happen, I would actually be able to be content" or "I can't help but smart off to my Dad because he caused me too much pain. If it was different between us, I'd be better."

When I was 16, I went to a Youth Conference for a week during the summer. The Lord used the friends and speakers there to really touch my heart and began to soften my built up bitterness. There wasn't an immediate change, but over time I started to really improve. It's like my eyes were slowly opened and I no longer felt like a victim, but a victor! I was able to empty my arms of my bitterness and instead wrap my arms around Christ! I decided to tell myself that NO MATTER what circumstances the Lord has decided to put me in, they were for my ultimate good. I could choose how to handle them. The Lord refines His children by putting them through fires. If we can keep our eyes on Him and let Him sanctify us through it, we will come out on the other side leaping for joy because all the Lord has done!

Now I can honestly say that I wouldn't change anything about my life. If I could go back and change all the hurt, I definitely wouldn't do it. The abuse, the heartache, the fear and insecurity doesn't even measure up compared to what the Lord has done in my life. Yes, things have been very difficult, and there has been a lot of pain. I STILL struggle with insecurities and fears. Ask my boyfriend! Seriously, I have struggled in many areas, but the Lord continues to work. He has been with me so far, so I know He's not leaving me. Praise the Lord! I'm so thankful that because of the change the Lord has made in me, I'm able to find freedom in what most would call bondage.

Anyways, I'll stop rambling, but I want to leave you with a couple verses.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:2-4

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" Matthew 13:5

The Lord knows everything that is happening to you and it is for a purpose! Don't let the circumstances control you. Let them change you for the better. Trials don't define you, but reveal who you really are. Let the Lord work through those trials to shape you and mold into something more beautiful than can even be imagined!

Lies...All Lies! (#1)

In our sinful world, there are a lot of lies that go around, penetrating the hearts of those they come in contact with. These lies slowly leak into our souls and become full blown beliefs and sin. The truth is compromised because sin takes root inside us. Only God can crush those lies to pieces, bring us out of bondage to them, and turn us to the truth again. He can do this through His written word, the Bible. By consulting with what the Lord has written to us, we can be reminded of who we are in, through, and before our Savior!

A couple years ago, I read the book, Lies Women Believe by Lancy Leigh DeMoss. It really changed my thinking on some big issues. I don't think I realized how many lies I allowed myself to believe.For instance, the lie "God is not really enough" is one I really struggled with. If someone were to ask me, "Hey, do you believe that God is enough for you?" I'd say "sure" with no hesitation. But taking a step back and examining my heart, I found that I was not living like I believed it. My mind believed it but my heart didn't reflect it. It was powerful! So, I want to go through some of the lies with you in hopes that it will be used in your life like it was in mine.

The first lie I'll go over today is concerning priorities. Most people are fairly busy. Life gets crazy and sometimes we can get to feeling like we are juggling too many things and we are on the brink of going insane. So, we allow certain things to slack. I know for me, when school would get crazy busy and I was consumed with that, I would allow my quiet time with the Lord to slack. That is not okay! We NEED that alone time with God.

That brings me to the lie, "I can make it without consistent time in the Word and prayer." Building a one on one relationship with Christ is so vital to our spiritual growth and maturity. In the intimate time we spend alone with God, examining ourselves and looking at who Christ is, we are able to see our sinfulness more clearly. I believe one on one time with God has been the most powerful in my life. During the time when I'm alone and quiet before the Lord, I can more vividly see Him sanctifying me and showing me how to be more like He is.

Also, I've found that when I'm not soaking in the Lord's Word every day and developing a relationship with him, I easily fall prey to sin and temptation. When I consistently spend time with the Lord, I feel like I have the most epic accountability partner ever! I don't want to sin because I love the Lord. I don't want to disappoint Him. I know that my sin disgusts Him and it's MY SIN that hung Him on the cross. It's so easy to forget the power in His sacrifice, and as sinners, we need a daily reminder. Psalm 119:9, 11 says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word...I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

Nancy Leigh DeMoss says it very well, "If he (Satan) can get us to try to "live the Christian life" without cultivating an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, he knows we will be spiritually impotent and defeated. If he can get us to do a great many things "for God" without consciously seeking the will of God through His Word and prayer, we may stir up a lot of religious dust, but we won't do Satan's kingdom any real damage."

Shout out to my amazing Savior!

I haven’t blogged in forever, and for that I am sorry. I have really let some things slack because of all that has been going on with me. My goal is to pick it back up though, so here I go 


I just want to take a moment to brag on God. I just feel so overwhelmed by him, especially lately. I feel as though the Lord has really increased my faith in the last six months. He has repeatedly shown himself to me and it’s so unbelievable that I can barely express it!

I don’t understand how the Maker of the universe can care about someone like me. How could he take the time to invest in a relationship with Becca Jones? I just don’t get it. It’s so amazing though. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your cares upon him, because he cares for you.” HE cares about ME. I can tell him all my worries and concerns and he cares about all of those. When I feel like breaking down and crying because everything has gotten so heavy, He cares and will give me exactly what I need. Matthew 6:26 – “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” He gives me EVERYTHING that I need.

Life has gotten very thick lately. There has been a lot of pain for the last 5-6 years and I have really struggled through it all, but at the same time, I have complete peace. It’s like the Lord has been literally beside me all the way, showing me that He is in control and that I have no need to fear or fret. He is my Daddy forever and ever. He will protect me. Even if things don’t go the way I thought they would, he has it all planned out and never will let anything happen that I can’t handle. Everything that comes my way has been filtered through my Savior’s hands.

The things that we go through during our life are not there to hurt us or makes us doubt our faith, but to strengthen us and sharpen us. I also believe that it puts us in a place where we can see God’s love in a way that we never have before. “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10

I’m so happy to say that Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega, is my God and Savior. It is the most amazing feeling to know that He cares about me. Just thought I would give a shout out to what he has been showing me lately. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness!

While your checking out blogs, visit Brian and my new blog called "MangoLuv." We would love to have more visitors! http://mangoluvers.blogspot.com Thanks for reading!

Manna, Transcendence, and Naked Beginners

Sin is deceiving. It tricks humankind into believing that by pursuing our fleshly desires, that we will expand the size of our life and get what we always wanted. What falling mankind tends to do is forget the big picture and worry about the petty things in life such as the car we drive, the job we work, and the husband we marry. These things are all important! BUT! When we make these things our daily drive, that is when we have cut ourselves short.

Transcendence: the state of being beyond and outside of the ordinary range of human experience.

As children of God, we were made to be part of something BIG!!!! We all desire this type of life. We want to be a part of something special, surreal, and magnificent. Something outside of the norm and something that is life changing. Often times we think those magnificent and glorious things can be found by worldly gain. We forget that only Christ can provide us with that type of lifestyle. Only HE can make us part of something important. This is where transcendence comes in. As a Christian, we are naturally granted the ability to be in a "state of being beyond and outside the ordinary range of human experience." God grants us that privilege. But down through the ages, we have cheat ourselves out of such a blessing. Only Christ can fill the gap in our lives that we search all over for. We try to force-fit other things into Christ's spot, but we come up feeling even more empty than before.

An example of this in the Bible is when the Israelites were wondering in the wilderness. The reason they even considered to go back to Egypt was because they were tired of the manna. They were worried about their menu! "The flavor of a God-provided food rose to such a level of importance that they were actually able to look at Egypt as a place with a better menu, rather than the place of slavery and death that it actually was." (quote from Quest for More by Tripp)

This is what we do! We let petty things such as menu, clothes, jobs, sex, money, who drank the last of the OJ, or who forgot to dry the sink mess our day up and control us. We allow these types of things to rise to a level of such importance, that we end up shrinking our lives to such a small size.

"When the enemy somehow tricks you into squeezing the size of your life to the size of your personal dreams, wants, and needs, he has got you right where he wants you," says Tripp. It's a deceitful trap that we, as Christians, must be aware of.

In Genesis 3, there is a disastrous story of two people who were offered "more" and ended up being served way less than the glory they were intended to receive. Adam and Eve listened to the deceitful talk of the devil and fell into the trap of forsaken transcendence. The "more" Adam and Eve were meant to experience was replaced with a worthless "more" provided by the world. They were left unfulfilled.

Just like them, we will be unfulfilled and will never taste the glory we were meant to experience if we search outside of Christ. This IS a struggle! The evidence is everywhere and I see it in my own life. It scares me. What is the "less" that you settle on? I ask myself that same question. What captures our attention and draws us away from the all satisfying Christ? What glory will we live for each and every day of our life? Are we living for the glory of Almighty God, expanding our life's border as far as the Lord allows them to reach? Or are we shrinking our lives to the measly boundary of our own fences and trashy kingdoms?

Let our prayer be that we experience the true transcendence meant for us and that Christ would help us let go of the "less" we hold so tightly to.

I want so bad to experience God's best for my life. Only then will I find true joy and fulfillment. When the "less" in my life is where it needs to be (WAY below Christ's place) then Christ will have his deserved position. God, help me to allow you to be my "more."

Daily Shame

Here is a Marietta story of a certain trial I suffered through every day for the last few weeks, ESPECIALLY THE LAST ONE.

*themes music begins*....picture creepy, spooky music...

Every day it was harder to bear and my heart broke in two. I faced it every morning, afternoon and night, and sometimes even in between! During breakfast, I would suddenly get an insecure feeling that washed over me. I suddenly wondered, "Is there something on my face?" "Is my hair sticking up?" "Is there a gigantic booger hanging out of my nose?" I wanted to weep incessantly, but I didn't for fear that my campers wouldn't love me the same. The feeling would go away after a few minutes and I could smile again. But I knew deep down that it would come back to haunt me. When leaving the dining hall, after emerging out of the double doors, a wave of shame washed over me once again. I could barely keep my face from contorting because of my humiliation. My campers sometimes would hold my hand to help me get through the challenge. They began to catch on by the middle of the week. Thank you lovely campers :)

Soon enough, random campers would come up to me and look me in the eye, saying creepily, "The duck flies as midnight." I could almost feel my skin crawl. Like a bolt of lightning, the feeling washed over me again. I would frolic away in sadness and my campers would trail in behind me. Soon, I started trying to put a curse on them by saying, "The alligator lurks at dawn." Sadly, it didn't have the same effect on them. They just laughed and pointed, and stared. I wanted to burst into tears, but held back.

*dark voice* "The duck flies as midnight." Right at that moment, several pairs of eyes would stare me down and penetrate to the depths of my soul. My loyal campers tried to protect me, but there was only so much they could do. A couple of them even started to laugh....I felt betrayed. I collapsed to my knees and woke up in the hospital....*beep*.....*beep*.....*beep*....
*music fades*
Alright, well this story is only about 10% true. Let me explain. Kaylin and I started a tradition type of thing where I would tell all my campers to stare at Kaylin and see how long it took her to notice. She did the same back to me :) Several times, I would leave the cafeteria with my campers and Kaylin's cabin would be waiting outside the door for me. Well, the last week, her campers were pros at staring. She would say the code words, "The duck flies at midnight" and they would all stare immediately. Almost like robots. During meals, I would get that "feeling" that someone is looking at you. I felt the need to hide behind my campers. Haha! Well, one day, one of Kaylin's campers came up to me and looked me straight in the eyes and said with a straight face...."The duck flies at midnight." Totally confused, I stammered and replied..."Well the alligator lurks at dawn." She laughed uncontrollably and I felt lost and confused. My campers were confused too...it was quite hilarious. Finally, they told me what that meant and that it was their code phrase. It was like a revelation in my life. I finally understood. It was awesome!!!


Here is a picture of Kaylin's whole cabin who were so good at making me feel self-conscious :)

Here are two of the girls who were oober good at it. They would stare even if the rest of their cabin wasn't. The one of the left is the girl who first said, "The duck flies at midnight" to me :) The one on the right is her sister :D

For two friends....

Hello Crazy Daisy!

I haven't seen you in a while. Aren't I a terrible friend? Don't answer that. Did I neglect you? Don't answer that either. Do you still love me? Don't answer that.

Love even when it doesn't seem like it,
Becca Jones

HELLO BLOGGER FRIENDS! I'm actually talking to you now. *laughs* Okay, well two of my friends (Hannah and Kaylin) told me I need to post more.....especially about Marietta. I am taking them up on that, and I thought that actually posting my agreement would be better, because then I can be held to it. So, if I don't post.....yell at me! Okay, I can't actually post a legit one right now because I have to go teach, but I will hopefully get something this weekend. Happy Hannah and Kaylin? *smooch*

Hold me to this.....
Becca