Why Are You Crying???

Earlier this month, I was on good ol' Instagram scrolling through my timeline and I came across a post that seriously convicted me.

<-- This picture here. The caption went on to explain that you have to put yourself in the place of this woman and ask yourself, "why am I crying?" What is it that is breaking my heart?  You are crying because your 'lord' for the moment has been taken away. So I ask again, what dead thing are you crying over? Pining for? Ultimately placing before your relationship with God. If you have given your life to God, He has to be number one. There should be nothing more important. In my own life I have been struggling with prioritizing. As a student this is important but as a christian even more so. Your personal walk with God MUST be number one. After all that is your purpose here on earth. Jesus died on the cross so that He might have a personal relationship with YOU. Not you and all the false burdens you're carrying. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17). We all know this verse, but understand that God is not taking things out of your life because He is mean it is because he loves you and wants to save you! God corrects those He loves just as a father does to his child(ren) (proverbs 3:12). 
One of my favorite verses and literally my life motto is Matthew 6:33, "But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you." It answers all my questions, what does the bible say about priorities.. there is my answer. What does the bible tell me I should do with my life... there is my answer. However, as I seek God, and allow Him to be Lord over my life He is going to take things away. He going to clean out some things and open some doors that I shut a long time ago. Isaiah 48:10 "See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." God wants to perfect you. Don't cry over it. It is not worth your tears... That person is not worth your tears. While you are standing there crying you don't realize that God is right there calling your name. So many times I have cried over something or someone being removed from my life but with that same mouth I prayed 'Lord I wanna be more like you' or 'Take out everything in me not like You' or 'I surrender all.' I'm a hypocrite if I sing 'Jesus I'm desperate for you' but I'm not actually longing for Him. Instead I'm longing for something He can bring or will do for me. A lot of times we see certain materials as our reward but don't realize that salvation through Jesus is our reward. So yes, a spouse is not your reward... Salvation through Jesus Christ is. He is more than enough. He has already given us all we need and could ever want. Let God be your Lord (in everything).

Stay Blessed!!

Elena Asks.

What Are You Doing With Your Answered Prayers?

Throughout our lives we will experience many different seasons. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, "for everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." One season commonly referred to is the 'dry season'. It is usually in that time that you find yourself emptied before God asking for a breakthrough or you will start fasting for a miracle. In that time of desperation before God many of us tend to make deals with God. We will pray things like Lord give me a car and I'll stop smoking... Lord bring me my spouse and I'll start praying consistently.. One thing about living on Earth right now is that we are constantly being bombarded by words and images promoting materialism. But really, what good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul? Don't believe the lie that you need something to happen before you can serve God. You're waiting till you turn 25 before you commit your life to Him or till you get that job. Don't wait for it to be too late.

For me, it was friendships. I love people. I love having lots of friends and being surrounded by great and holy minds. I prayed consistently for God to send me Christian friends because at the time I felt like I had none. Being in  a new city (Ottawa), it made it even harder to be alone. (You're never truly alone but that was what I was feeling). I remember being home for the summer and complaining to my mom that I had no one to hang out with. The few friends I did have were doing thing I didn't want to do and our lifestyles were so different. God was really using that time to shift my focus off of the world and onto Him. I know this because there were (and still are) great people in my life. However, at that stage I wasn't ready for the blessings of friendship that He was giving me. But because of that time of preparation, I am now able to grow in relationships, appreciate the people in my life and be myself. One thing I love about God is that He is all powerful. If God is in it and its His will, you don't need any pastor or woman or man to hand it to you. You don't need anybody except for God for it to happen. All you have to do is submit to Him and be whoever He is called you to be and the rest will just fall into place (Matthew 6:33).

Another prayer I prayed (and continue to pray) was for an enlargement of my territories in that God would surround me with people I could disciple/mentor/teach and with people I could evangelize to. Now I'm gonna be real here... These past couple months (Sept & Oct) I've been getting approached by an abnormally high number of men who I would describe as different. I was struggling with this because most of these men approaching me were those who I would most likely meet if I was still clubbing or dressing provocatively. But I wasn't doing any of those things and I wasn't putting myself in places where I should be meeting these types of men. Having so many of these encounters made me examine the reason for it. As I was talking to God a light bulb went off! 1 Peter 3:15b-16a says, "And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear." God was putting me in situations to encounter men  who freely waned to talk to me. The thing is, instead of politely declining them I should've been taking time to talk to them and bring the light and truth of Jesus into our conversations. Or instead of ignoring them, taking the time to get to know them and telling them about Jesus in a way that would address their needs. So next time when they say 'oh so when am I gonna see you again' invite them to church so they can see you there! At the end of the day we are all created in the likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). I can't be praying for God to open doors that I might meet more lost souls and then when He begins to literally poor them my way I send them in the opposite direction.

So I'll ask again... what are you doing with your answered prayers? And are you putting in the work to maintain and be a good steward of what God had given to you?

God will answer your faith. When you pray believing that He is going to answer you even if your natural eyes can't yet understand or grasp it. And when He does, acknowledge Him for it. Give thanks to Him that He is working on your behalf with sincerity.

Stay Blessed!!

Elena Asks.

So There's This Guy...

Four words commonly heard by a girl with a crush. It is normal for girls to have feelings of attraction towards the opposite sex. God created us that way. But when it turns into lust, or an idol or a distraction then we have a problem. Earlier this year I developed a crush on a guy and I started to noticed that he was taking over my thoughts. This lead me to begin researching what God requires of us and how we can honor him when we have a crush on someone. We often get to a point where we obsesses over our crushes. I found myself 'changing' my interests to impress this guy. Some of you might be using other people to get to your crush or even denying your faith and beliefs to get in good with them. This is no beuno! You shouldn't have to change yourself to make someone like you or notice you. With that being said, I am going to elaborate on what I do when I have a crush on someone.  

1) Give it to God 

Philippians 4:6 says, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." The first thing you need to do is pray. Thank God for the qualities you see in the guy. Thank God that He created him fearfully and wonderfully. Ask God to keep your heart guarded and protected. Surrender your control and your feelings to God and allow Him to work on you. 

2) Pray for the will of God 

Ask that God would close the door and remove the desire if it doesn't line up with His will. And also pray that if it is the will of God that He would give you a clear sign and give you patience in His timing. If it is God's desire allow Him to work it out and reveal it to the guy. Don't become impatient and manipulate the hand of God. James 4:7 says, "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you." God will show you whether it is of Him or the devil. 

3) Guard your thought life 

I can't stress enough how important this point is. There is a reason that Philippians 4:8 instructs us to " fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right and pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent on worthy of praise." So easily we allow our mind to wander off especially when there is a boy. One minute you're listening to your pastor preach and the next you've created a whole fantasy in your head of your first date, your proposal or even the first dance at your wedding. Your crush may be a mighty man of God but constantly thinking about him is keeping you from being fully devoted to the mighty God of man! There is power in your prayer. If you are struggling in this area, the moment you start thinking like that, pray! And don't just pray for the guy (because that can just be used as another excuse to think about him.. trust me, I know) but pray intentionally for someone else, pray for someone who needs healing, who needs Jesus etc. Satan will begin to notice that every time he tries to distract you, you begin praying selflessly for others and he will regret ever trying to mess with your thought life. A friend of mine introduced me to this great app call 'InstaPray' which is basically like an IG but for prayers. It is a great way to meet people from all over the world who are in need of prayers and intercessors that you can pray for. 

4) Guard your heart 

Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do." Don't be led by your emotions. Give your heart to God and seek Him so he can discern it for you (1 Chronicles 28:9). 
God will give you the desires of your heart but you don't truly know what these desires are because the heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9-10). Get to know the word of God for yourself so that you don't make the mistake of sinning against God (Psalm 119:11). 

5) Ask God for discernment in your interactions and conversations 

Let God reveal to you if what you are doing, saying or thinking is pleasing to Him or if it is sinful. And be aware of how you interact with your crush. You don't wan't to lead him on and be against God's plan. You also don't wan't to treat your brother in Christ as an enemy because you're bitter. Don't manipulate them in any way or confuse somebody else's future husband. Psalm 19:14 says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."

Finally, instead of focusing so much on finding the right one, look at your self and see if you are also becoming 'the one' for someone else. Enjoy your time of being single and seek first the kingdom of God. He will give you all that you need. Everything you're looking for is found in Him alone. 
I'll close with this quote, "I struggled with not thinking I’d ever find someone who had swag and was serious about having a relationship with Christ. I felt like I would be more passionate about the Lord than other guys my age. If you have felt the same way, please know that this type of thinking is directly from the enemy. Just how God is developing you, he is preparing and developing your spouse. Don’t be afraid of becoming "too religious". There is no such thing. The most beautiful relationship you will ever have is the one you have with God. Be encouraged." -http://www.ashleyempowers.com/ 


If you're looking for more info on this topic, visit (http://setapartgirl.com/search/finder/opposite%20sex) 

Stay Blessed!!! 

Elena Asks. 

I Want It All

I want to talk about coveting. One of the commandments that God gives us in Exodus 20:17 is, “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” To covet means to strongly desire. This commandment tells us that we should not strongly desire what belongs to our neighbour. Why? Because its not yours! I've noticed that with internet and social media, it is really easy for people to manage the way their lives are presented to their peers. You only post the good stuff, the fun stuff, the things you want other to see. I'm guilty of looking at these post and thinking, 'wow his life is great' or 'she has everything' and not realizing that people only post what they want you to see. 

During the month of May I took a social media fast. I deactivated my facebook, deleted IG, twitter, pinterest, snapchat etc. I did this because God kept asking me about how I was guarding my heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart  for everything you do flows from it.' I found that the more I scrolled through my timelines, the more unsatisfied and discontent I felt. I was allow what I was seeing on social media to pour into me and control my desires more than I was allowing God. I began to covet my neighbours so I took a break. With all the free time I had, I was able to read more of my bible, pray longer and allow God to pour into me instead of man. I was turning to IG and Twitter searching for something that I already had. God is the source of all contentment, success and satisfaction and He live in us! A simple question I ask myself is, do you desire Gods heart or His hand? When you see someone successful in the body of Christ, praise God for them and their anointing. They are people just like you and me who have made themselves available regardless of their ability just to please God. Wait for what is yours. What God has for you, is for YOU and it is GOOD! 

Stay Blessed!!

Elena Asks. 


P.S. I know it's been a long time since I last blogged. Nearing the end of semester in school, things got really busy and then I just forgot this thing even existed. Nevertheless, I am back and God willing going to be posting more regularly.

How Deep The Fathers Love

This morning I woke up stressed out and feeling uneasy about the day ahead. I had two midterms that I wasn't sure I was thoroughly prepared for. I sat up in my bed and began to give it to God. By petition and thanksgiving I presented my requests to my loving God (Philippians 4:6). Psalm 34:8 has been on my heart all day. "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him." There are very few things one can be sure of in life. One thing I am sure of is that if you try God, surrender you whole life to Him, give him a 'taste', you will NEVER regret it and your life will NEVER be the same.

After sharing my testimony, a friend of mine approached me and said "are you ready to share your whole life with the world? with your friends and family?" I responded affirmatively. I would not have life it wasn't for God. Every morning that I wake up it is Him who puts breath in my body and allows me to stand up and face the day. God is calling His children to be transparent. Romans 12:2a says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world." The patterns of this world is to keep everything a secret, to be selfish, to "do you". As a christian I need to do the opposite of that. I need to show love through kindness and selflessness like 1 Corinthians 13 calls me to. I need to speak of the ways God is impacting my life in a real and transparent way (1 Chronicles 16:8). And that is exactly what I will do!

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Elena Asks.

3 Reasons Why Watching Pornography Is Wrong

1) Porn causes lust. Matthew 5:28 says, "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman (or man) lustfully has already committed adultery with her (or him) in his (or her) heart." Pornography is full of lustful images. And by viewing it we are sinning.

2) Porn creates false images. It is not real yet it causes us to form expectations in our heads of things our future (or present) spouses will never live up to. It is a fantasy. It also distorts our vision of men (and women). We create them to be something that they were not created for. As if men were only created to please the sexual desires of women and vice-versa.

3) Watching porn creates an idol. You fill your heart with fleshly, unrighteous desires. You can't seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness while watching porn (Matthew 6:33). God must have your whole heart.

Remember, God hears our cry. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Stay Blessed!!

Elena Asks. 

God delivered me from...

My name is Elena and God delivered me from pornography. I have never shared this with anyone because being a young woman I didn't think it was okay to speak of these things and because of the fear of judgement from my peers. I believed the lies that I was filthy and dirty. Though I have remained celibate physically I have not remained celibate in my heart or in my thoughts. The first time I ever watched porn was in grade six. It started with a google search and one thing led to another. All of a sudden I had discovered this xxx world and there began my addiction. Once a week... Once a day... Then for hours on end I would be glued to the computer screen. I remember I would sit there and tell myself one more video Elena and then close it but I was never satisfied and the one more video turned into five and so on and so forth. That's the thing with porn, it's a very temporal satisfaction (if you can even say it satisfies at all) and it distorts your views on love, sex and relationships. I continued to watch porn all the way into my first year of university in a roller coaster cycle. I would watch it for a week or a day and then feel guilty about it so my guilt would bring me to repentance. I always knew at the back of my head that it was wrong but I shut that voice off. I told myself that I still wasn't as bad as (insert name here). I told myself that even though you're sinning, God will forgive you so it's okay. But God doesn't work that way... You can't intentionally sin knowing you'll ask for forgiveness later. Anyways, I went for long periods of time without watching porn... For months on end (even a year at some points) I wouldn't feel tempted and I was proud. I felt like I had overcome. But the thing is I still desired these things. Fast forward to winter 2012 I remember I was in my room all day on the computer watching porn videos and I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror and began to feel so unworthy. I couldn't believe what I had done. I was at a breaking point and knew something had to change. I went back to my room and began to talk to God, I said "Lord, I'm sorry. What I'm doing isn't right. This isn't how you desire for me to live. I need your help and I need you more than ever". After that short prayer I began to look for information on how to overcome an addiction to porn. I found a site filter that blocked any websites that would remotely be close to a porn site. For example, it wouldn't even let me visit Victoria Secret's website. I can't remember the name but I can share some other ones that work just as well. I also got rid of anything I felt wouldn't help me in my recovery and I began to consume myself with things of God. 2 Timothy 2:22 says, "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

I know that I am forgiven and I know that I am delivered. I don't desire these things anymore. I desire God! Porn did not die on a cross for me. Believing in it won't get me to heaven. God did!! God did! His love is so great and He is soooooooooo merciful towards me. He loves me even though I'm not perfect and He is constantly there waiting for me. I love Him more than any video, any website, any thing in this world. Yes, temptations do come but I resist them, I don't give in and I don't give up.

The Bible says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).” But a lot of us resist the devil without submitting to God. This was (and is) the first step. We can't do it on our own.

If you find yourself living a life of sexual immorality, there is hope and help for you! The power of the Holy Spirit is available to you (Ephesians 3:16). The cleansing of God’s forgiveness is available to you (1 John 1:9). The renewing capacity of God’s Word is at your disposal (Romans 12:1-2). Commit your mind and eyes to the Lord (1 John 2:16). Ask God to strengthen you and help you to overcome pornography (Philippians 4:13). Ask God to protect you from further exposure to porn (1 Corinthians 10:13), and to fill your mind with things that are pleasing to Him (Philippians 4:8). These are all requests that God will honor and answer.

A few sites you can try to practically help you overcome are:
www.X3Watch.com or www.covenanteyes.com which are accountability software you buy and they will track websites you visit and even send them to an accountability partner of your choosing. 
download.cnet.com/9241-2162_4-11529878.html?messageID=10640938\ is a free internet filter (similar to the one I have) that blocks out anything remotely close to sexual images etc. 

Having an accountability partner is probably one of the best things to do... Know that you are not in it alone. James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

God loves you. He is calling you. Answer Him, lean on Him, TRUST HIM.

Stay Blessed
I'm praying for you!

Elena Asks.

But Wait, There’s More!

I made an "about me" video! Please watch it and don't be a stranger :)

Stay Blessed!!

Elena Asks.

The Start of Something New!

On January 8th, 2014 I was completing my daily devotionals. Since December I have been studying the book of Ezekiel. I have already learnt so many things about God from studying that book, its amazing! So as I said, I was reading the book of Ezekiel and God just began to speak a vision into me. In Ezekiel 26, we learn about the nation of Tyre. Tyre was guilty of self-seeking. They figured "as long as its not us," we're good. Or "as long as we don't get caught" it's okay. But God sent a message to the people of Tyre through Ezekiel. The whole book of Ezekiel God uses him to share messages and prophesy to the nations. I thought to myself, what if Ezekiel disobeyed God and kept the message to himself? Now, Ezekiel would be a hindrance to someone else. The people of Tyre would be loosing out on a life-changing message (literally life and death) because Ezekiel chose not to listen to God and share this message. This really began to convict me because I have a lot of things to share, a lots of experiences and a lot of stories that other people need to hear. God was saying to me, Elena it's time to start sharing your heart. One of my sisters in Christ (http://angelcheron.blogspot.ca/) said in one of her youtube videos "If you can't post this blog about your past then that means you are still bound by it". I definitely want to know that I am fully released from the things that happened in my past and I want to be able to encourage other people with my stories. I want to glorify my God!

With that being said, I definitely don't have all the answers, but God does and I'm ready to start asking.

Stay blessed,

Elena Asks.