BTG Conference Follow-up - Day 3 - Knowing Jesus as YOUR Best Friend

Once you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He does not want you to stop there - He wants to have a personal relationship with you! He wants you to have a close relationship with Him and to know Him in a real way - like you know a human friend!

Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You shall seek me and find me when you search for me with" - what? - "ALL of your heart." (emphasis added) It is when you make the Lord your #1 priority and seek for Him with all of your heart that you will truly find Him - THAT is when you taste Him, know Him, and can’t help but love Him!

#1 Priority:
~ Make the Lord and knowing Him your #1 goal and priority.
~ It involves choices! He comes BEFORE anything else. Everything else must line up with knowing Him! This means time with Him comes first before hanging out with others, you read His Word before you check your e-mail, you choose things that will help you in your walk with Him, etc.
(You know you do this because you know that your relationship with the Lord is what you were created for, the only place you will find true fulfillment, and the way you will bring glory to God!)
~ The more you do this, the more you will know the Lord and see that it is so worth it!

Seeking Him with ALL of your heart:
~ Ask yourself what the things are that decrease and increase your love for God.
Here are a few things that you have helped me come up with:
~ Decrease: sin, wrong friends, tv, self, internet, distraction with boys, laziness, things in wrong priority*
*Idols - Remember that things that stand in God’s way (or take His rightful place) are really idols. Get them out! They can even good things taking priority over God.
NOTHING is worth standing in the way of the most important thing in the world - your relationship with the Lord!

~ Increase: time with Him, reading His Word, worship, being with others who love Him, remembering what He has done for you, prayer...
Pursue those things that you know increase your love for God and help you grow in your relationship with Him! Every step you take, minute you spend, and choice you make to follow Him will bring you closer in your relationship with Him!

~ Look at your life, accept God’s grace to remove the things are decreasing your love for Him and to pursue that things that increase your love for Him!

As you do this, you will know Him more and when you know Him, you find He is the best friend you could EVER have!

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." Phil. 3:7-8

BTG Conference Follow-up - Day 2 - Who do YOU say Jesus is?

Remember the soul-searching question of all time - "Who do you say that I am?" Mark 8:29

If Jesus asked you that question, what would you honestly be able to say?

Today we want to look at the MOST IMPORTANT thing in life - salvation. The most beautiful news of all time!  Remember that you must first receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior to be able to pursue a deeper relationship with Him!

Here is your project for Day 2:
~ Read through the plan of salvation with an open heart. Make sure that you understand what it means and that it is real in your life.
~ Write out your salvation testimony. (We would love to have you e-mail it to us!)

Plan of salvation:
~ God created us to walk with Him and glorify Him.
~ We all have sinned - thought, said, done wrong things. Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."~ God is holy and He cannot have sin in His presence. Our sin separates us from the fellowship we were meant to have with God and destines us for eternity in hell apart from God.
~ Jesus - the perfect Son of God - came to earth to die on the cross, to take the punishment for our sins, so that we could be right with God and spend eternity in Heaven with Him. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
~ If you realize your sin and need for a Savior, receive the Lord's grace to confess your sin to God, repent and turn from your sin, put your trust fully in Jesus to save you, and follow and surrender your life to Him as Lord - you will be saved.  He will come into your life, cleanse your sins, make you right with God, save you, and you will enjoy fellowship with Him on earth and eternity with Him in Heaven!
~ Rom. 10:9-11 says - "...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."

When you have responded to the Lord's grace in this, you are a child of God, a new creation, and can walk with Jesus both now and in eternity!  This is the beginning of your personal relationship with Jesus!  From here, you can go deeper into the wonderful relationship with Him for which you were created!

The Lord Jesus saves you to have a relationship with you, for you to be fulfilled in His love, and to glorify Him with your life!
Have YOU trusted in and surrendered your life to Jesus?

(For more on salvation, you can visit our website http://www.lovingthelordministries.org/ and visit the "Encouragement" section!)

Tomorrow we are looking at loving Jesus as your best Friend!

BTG Conference Follow Up - Day 1

Do you remember the chocolate illustration? 

It is when we personally taste and experience Jesus for ourselves that we see that He is good!  Then we can’t help but love Him and glorify Him!  That personal relationship with Him is what we were created for and the only place we will find true fulfillment!  THAT is what life is all about!

Here is your opportunity for today!

Spend at least 5 minutes (or more!) before the Lord:
~ Read Psalm 34:8
~ Record ways you have already personally tasted the Lord.
~ Praise Him for those things!
~ Ask Him to help you know Him more.
~ Decide on one thing you will do today to seek to taste the Lord!  (Reading your Bible, praying, etc.)

Know that the more you taste Him, the more you will know that He is good!

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!" Psalm 34:8

Conference 30 Day Follow Up!

We are thrilled to introduce a special follow-up opportunity to the "Beautiful to God” Conference that took place this past weekend!

We are excited for this opportunity to keep seeking the Lord together and to put into practice the things we talked about!  (For those of you who were not able to attend the conference, we so believe that you will be richly blessed if you choose to take part right along with us!)

You can look forward to a meaningful, fun, and growing time of seeking the Lord and becoming beautiful to Him!

The 30 Day Follow-up begins today!

*For conference attendees:
Today ~ Think back over the weekend. What was the biggest thing the Lord taught you? How are you going to apply it? As you ask the Lord for His help, and step out in obedience, He will do great things!

"Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious." ~ 1 Peter 3:3-4

It was so amazing to seek Jesus with you at the "Beautiful to God" Conference!!

Dear Friends,

Words cannot say what an incredible joy it was to seek the Lord together with all of you who were at the “Beautiful to God” Conference this weekend!  Jesus met with us in powerful ways and it is so exciting that this was just the beginning of all that He is going to continue to do as you walk with Him.  He is so amazing!

This promise from His Word is so beautiful: “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6

Friends, keep walking in the Lord’s grace ~ seeking to know Jesus with all that you are, filling your heart with His Word, letting Him work in you, and letting Him live His life through you!  As a result you will increasingly find the satisfaction you were created for in Jesus, the power that comes as you base your life on the Truth of His Word, and the joy of Him living His life through you!

Today I was reading in Galatians and this verse so powerfully sums up all we talked about: 
“I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved ,e and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
May that be real in each of our lives by His grace!

I am so excited for all that He has in store as you continue to seek Him, walk in His Truth, and let Him live His life through you!

With so much love for you in Jesus,
Amy

You are still able to attend the "Beautiful to God" Conference this weekend!

You can still register for the conference!  At this point, you don't need to mail the registrations, but can simply bring them to the registration table on Friday. Please note that any registrations beyond at point do not include lunch. You don't need to email the events staff, unless you have questions - events@lovingthelordministries.org! We look forward to seeing you soon!  We would love to have you join us as we seek Jesus!

Beautiful to God Conference Promo - November 16-17th, 2012 from Loving the Lord Ministries on Vimeo.

Only 5 days until the "Beautiful to God" Conference!

Only 5 days until the "Beautiful to God" Conference!  We are SO looking forward to seeking Jesus together with you!  He has beautiful things in store!  Our Savior is amazing and His Truth is life-transforming!

You are loved.

Sweet Friends,

I wanted to write you a quick post and let you know that I will be posting more on the blog again after the conference!  I need to head back to continue preparing my talks (SO EXCITED)!  Jesus and His Truth are so amazing!

In the mean time, know that you are loved by your Savior, His Word has all of the answers you need, and it is a treasure to seek Him with you.  I love your hearts for Him.

This verse blessed me this morning ~ "Not one word has failed of all his good promise..." 1 Kings 8:56

We are so excited for all that Jesus has in store for the time of meeting with Him at the conference!  Would you pray for His hand to be on the time in a special way?  We look forward to hopefully seeing many of you there!  After the conference is over, I will be in touch on here again.

May each of you be blessed as you walk close to His heart today.  He is so, very good.

With love for you in Jesus,
Amy Vest

Registration postmarked by tomorrow to be part of lunch!

The "Beautiful to God" Conference is coming soon!

Please be sure to have your registration postmarked by tomorrow to be part of lunch that is being served at the conference!  (If you miss that date, you are still welcome to register, you will just bring your own lunch for Saturday.)

15 Days Until the "Beautiful to God" Conference!

15 Days Until the
"Beautiful to God" Conference!
+ Register by November 9th to be included in lunch.

We would love to have you join us as we discover the deep joy of living a life that is beautiful to God!
We encourage you to register soon and look forward to hopefully seeking Jesus with you on November 16-17th!!!

20 days until the "Beautiful to God" Conference!

We are so looking forward to seeking Jesus with you soon!
There is still room to register, so please invite your friends!

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."  Mark 12:30

Jesus is worth seeking with all of your heart!

Jesus promises, "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

When you find Him - when you personally know Him for yourself - you will find the longings of your heart and you will never be disappointed!  Seek for Him with all of your heart, dear sisters!

"For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things."  Psalm 107:9

"...those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." Psalm 34:10

30 days until the "Beautiful to God" Conference!

"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
~ Proverbs 31:30

Early Bird Registration Ends Tomorrow!

Early Bird Registration for the "Beautiful to God" Conference ends tomorrow!  We encourage you to register soon! 
You can download a registration form at:
www.lovingthelordministries.org! 
All registrations postmarked by October 16th will be honored with the Early Bird Discount!

The "Beautiful to God" Conference is in less than 6 weeks!

A "Beautiful to God" Conference announcement poster for you to share!

Keep Pursuing Jesus All of Your Life!

Dear Friends,                                                                                                                                                  

Words could never express the incredible joy that filled my heart as your priceless emails and charts came in from the Summer Devotions Pursuit...

Spilling off of the pages are testimonies of each of you ~ walking with Jesus, finding Him to be so real, experiencing the true fulfillment He brings, being nourished by His Word, delighting in talking with Him, and discovering the power of accountability in seeking Him. 

This is what you were created for!  This is where you find true joy.  This is what will cause your soul to be increasingly filled and bubble over to reach others for Jesus - and I see Him doing exactly this in your hearts as you seek Him!

Next to the joy of personally knowing Jesus, nothing makes me happier than to see you all experiencing Him this way!!!

Oh sisters, let this only be the beginning of a lifetime of walking with Jesus in this way! 

Our desire is that the Summer Devotions Pursuit would give you a taste of what walking with Jesus is like that will create in you a passion and habit to continue to seek Him for as long as you are on this earth!  Keep going deeper with Jesus - daily seek His face, fill your heart with His Word, and live each moment with Him.   As you do, you will find that Jesus only grows more beautiful to you, His Truth continues to impact in your heart, and your life is flooded with deeper purpose as you see it in light of Jesus and His Truth.

He is what we need, what our soul craves, and is the only One who "...satisfies the longing soul."  Psalm 107:9

We are praying for you as you continue to walk with and seek Jesus!

I am so excited to continue to walk with Him together,

Amy Vest

“Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”  Hosea 6:3

Encouraging Testimonies from the Summer Pursuit

As we wrap up the Summer Pursuit 2012, we wanted to share a few testimonies of what Jesus does as you seek Him!  It was such a blessing to hear story after story of God's mighty work in hearts and lives as young women dedicated their summer to seek Him!  This is what happens when you seek our amazing God!

Here are a few testimonies we received from young women who took the pursuit:

The Summer Pursuit has taught me more about God and made it come to life for me!  It made God come closer to me and help me understand. ~ Joy

This summer when I signed up and made a commitment to read my Bible every day, I had no idea what a challenge it would be!  God showed me how much He wanted me to read and love His Word.  It was hard to get up and study His Word every day, but when I would get into the Bible, the Lord really drew me to Himself in a special way.  ~ Bethany

"The testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple." Psalm 19.  I have done the Summer challenge several times, yet each time I learn more and grow closer to Him than before.  You can never stop learning from God's Word.  ~ Anna

The Summer Pursuit was an answer to my prayers ~ I was having difficulty setting aside time each day for devotions and prayed the Lord would help me to find a way to make my time with Him a more regular practice.  Not only did the Summer Pursuit help me to do that, but it also helped me by making me accountable to others and to hide His Word in my heart.  It really made a difference in my life.  ~ Havala

Throughout the year, I have been struggling to do devotions daily, but I just kept on saying to myself, "I'll do my devotions this evening, when I'm not so busy."  I would almost always forget.  Summer Pursuit has helped me to do devotions daily and not to only read a few verses from the Bible every once in a while.  It has also brought me closer to God so that when I pray, I always remember that He is listening to me. ~ Cecily
I had so much fun doing the Summer Pursuit, Jesus can really and truly change your life forever and I am glad that this program gave me the opportunity allow Him to do so."  ~ Victoria

                                                                        (Elisabeth)

I really enjoyed it.  It was a wonderful time for me to grow closer to the Lord with having to keep track and make sure I kept up with my Bible reading and I hope that now that will be a habit and I will read God's Word every day. ~ Elisabeth

Summer Pursuit Reward Package Help

For those of you who completed the Summer Pursuit, you should have received - or will be receiving - your reward package!  Here is a picture of the helping hands who so cheerfully got them in the mail to you!  May you continue to treasure the greatest reward of knowing Jesus better!

"We didn't want to stop."

"I did the Summer Devotions Pursuit this summer and was blessed. I am faithful in doing devotions every day, but it was such a blessing to have an accountability partner to encourage and pray for me. My accountability partner and I decided to continue memorizing Scripture together and to share prayer requests with one another even after the Summer Devotions Pursuit ended. We didn't want to stop."  ~ Cassidy

Every day counts

Every day counts...

Stop and think about it. In your life - moments add up to hours, which add up to days, which add up to years. Who you are today is a result of the things that took place in the days leading up until today. The choices you make in every moment - can either lead you closer to Jesus or further from Him.

God is at work in your life - extending His grace to you and seeking to draw you closer to Him, make you more like Jesus, and do His work through you!

He calls you and gives you grace to respond. We need the Lord's help with this every moment, in order for this to come to pass.

Every day you must receive that grace, moment by moment, to choose to do just that - in your thoughts, what you choose to believe, your use of time, what you listen to and watch, who you spend time with, what you place as your first priority, etc.!

This happens as we walk in fellowship with Him, live in obedient surrender, and follow His leading.

For example, in your life today:
- When you are tempted to let your mind wander or dwell on something that is not pleasing to Jesus - receive His grace to instead turn your mind to Him, His beauty, and His Word.
-When you have free time and start to get on the internet and spend lots of time reading blogs, watching videos, etc. - instead get into the word of GOD and let it fill you and build you up in Him!
- When you need to make a choice, ask, "Will this bring me closer to Jesus, or draw me away from Him?" Let this direct you to God's best for you in each moment of your day.

When you receive the Lord's grace and choose the things that will draw you closer to Him, He floods you with His life and amazing things happen!

Living like this day after day will add up to an amazing relationship with Jesus that transforms every aspect of your life!

Let today count in the right way - let it be a day that draws you closer to Jesus.

"Choose this day whom you will serve..."  Joshua 24:15