Girly Night Message

Hello, Princess! Here are the basics of what I covered at Girly Night:

1. We all like to feel loved, don't we? Especially we as girls, and having approval (whether from friends, family, boyfriends, etc.) makes us feel good on the inside. Hearing people say "You're beautiful," "You smell good," "I love you," etc., really lifts us up. But sometimes we feel like we aren't getting enough of that, and sometimes we want it so much that we start doing anything we can to try to get it...

2. Before I accepted Christ, I was in a place where I was insecure with who I was and was desperately searching for love to fill my heart. What I found was too shallow, and didn't completely fill me like I wanted it to, no matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried to believe I was happy that way. It left me broken and hurting, alone and lost. But suddenly, when a little bit of distance ended up coming into my life between the love that I was getting and myself, God had room to enter my heart. I eventually accepted Christ, and later God told me that I needed to rid myself of this shallow love, that I was worth more, that I deserved better, that He had a better plan for me. So while it was sad to leave this behind, I embraced a new sort of freedom and space to grow in a wonderful relationship with God.

3. We are princesses, and as such, the only one whose approval we should seek is God's. Matthew 25:34 says, "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." Because in Christ we are God's children, because He is our King, that makes us princesses who will inherit his kingdom! It doesn't matter whether or not we try to look the part, because we already are the part.

4. Approval and love from friends, family, and boyfriends is important, no doubt, but God's love goes far beyond what any of them could ever provide you with. His love is the only one that is completely unfailing. The phrase "unfailing love" is used around 32 times in the Bible, and only in reference to God's love. And how crazy it is that the God of the entire universe, of the plants and animals and stars and oceans and rainforests and mountains and deserts and galaxies, loves you. It's a crazy kind of love that will truly never leave, never forsake, and never fail us (see Hebrews 13:5). We cannot expect anyone else on Earth to love as unfailingly as God. Think of how much pressure would be on a person! But we can expect that from God!

5. Jeremiah 31:3 = "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness" (emphasis mine). Also, in John 15:13 = "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." God sent Himself as His Son Jesus to die for you, for us, on a cross, the most shameful way to die at the time, so that He could bridge the gap that our sin has created, the gap between us and Him, and so that He could be in relationship with us here on Earth and forever in Heaven. We are more than just friends to God, too; we are His children! 1 John 3:1 = "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" He is also our Heavenly Fiance. Jesus calls Himself the Bridegroom in Matthew 9:15, Matthew 25:1-10, and John 3:29. "Bridegroom" is a fancy name for "Fiance." The relationship that God longs for with you is as loving and intimate, even more so, than the one between you and your future/current husband.

6. A lot of us have been in places we don't want to go back to. A lot of us are in places we really don't want to be in. A lot of us may be tempted to end up in these places in the future. But it doesn't matter where you are or where you've been. Accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior automatically washes you of all of that. You are pure and holy in God's eyes when you are in Christ. Not only are you forgiven of what you have done, but your sin is erased! He will take you back again and again, because He cannot bear to ever let you go. He loves you far too much. He wants to be with you.

7. We don't need to conform to the standards society has set for us. We don't need to try to do everything we can to please people; we don't need to try to gain approval from our parents, friends, boyfriends, etc. At the end of the day, the one who loves you most is God, the one you matter most to is God, and His approval, His love, is what counts the most. He already knows who you truly are. He made you, and He already knew what sins you would commit and what trials you would face. He has seen you at your strongest and your weakest. You don't need to put on an act for Him, because He sees your heart. And even with all of this, even though we are not perfect people, He loves us with a completely unfailing love.

Try listening to "Wrapped in Your Arms" by Fireflight. Search it up on Youtube or download it or something. It is a fantastic song about how God will always be here to comfort you, to carry you, to hold you close.

How amazing is His unfailing love!