Wolf Diaries: Halloween Never Ends

To most people, Halloween  gives them an opportunity to escape reality and live their fantasy for one night. The truth is that Halloween never ends… Some people dress up 365 days of the year! One way to prevent yourself from being fooled by external deception  is to ask The Lord to give you discernment. As mentioned in our previous post “My Fiancé Never Was My Boyfriend,” categorizing people helps you guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23). Below, you will find in greater detail the “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” category. ENJOY!

Wolves in sheep’s clothing – Some men and women don’t have pure motives with you, and honestly sometimes you do not have pure motives with them either so this is not about bashing the wolves in sheep’s clothing but learning how to operate with them in wisdom. In the area of relationships, wolves in sheep’s clothing can appear to be so good and compatible to you on the outside, but inside they may want to use you as an object to please their flesh or as a substitute to fill their voids. If given the opportunity, some would sleep with you, or anyone else, at the drop of a dime! Wolves in sheep’s clothing are specifically sent out on an assignment to distract you from seeking God. The enemy dresses them up so well, but their hearts are so far from God.  Don’t be fooled by their speech or their fancy titles – test their fruit (Luke 6:44).

One way to test the fruit of a person is by examining their heart. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). This means that we talk about what our hearts are filled with! If someone is constantly talking about how much they want to sleep with you, they have a lust issue. If they’re saying that the reason that they can’t control themselves around you is because you are just “too fine or sexy,” they are lacking self-control. It’s very likely that they are saying the same thing to another “fine or sexy” somebody… but that’s none of my business.

If they are constantly saying sexual jokes or comments that make you, or others around you, uncomfortable that is not something to overlook! Sometimes the attention we get from wolves in sheep’s clothing can be so pleasurable to our flesh that we can allow our feelings to blind us from the character flaws that God is trying to show us about that person!

If you’re striving to live for God and you’re in a relationship with someone who is constantly trying to seduce you or tempt you… Do you really think that God is pleased with that? Granted we live in the flesh, but we are not called to walk according to the flesh (2 Corinthians 10:3). If the The Lord convicts you about something and someone is trying to convince you to do things you’re convicted about, that’s a red flag right there! Don’t be afraid to address situations that make you uncomfortable for sake of trying to keep a relationship. Pulling away from these relationships can be painful, but the benefits of you taking a stand to walk away will be worth it in the end. Pray that they recognize their accountability to God and surrender their all to Him so that they can live holy before Him… Even if it’s not with you.

Now some friends can fall in the wolves in sheep’s clothing category too… Some people are filled with gifts and talents and use them for God, but their hearts spew out POISON. It’s evident through their conversation (gossiping and sowing discord) that their hearts have left God, DESPITE their powerful works (Matthew 7:22-23). Be careful around people that spend their time talking bad about “sister so and so.” Don’t allow them to drag you into their sin. Bad company ALWAYS corrupts good character (1 Corinthians 15:33).

When people fall into the wolves in sheep’s clothing category, it’s NOT your job to “save them.” There’s no need for you to spend EXTRA time with them just so you can “make them see Christ.” What they need is spiritual deliverance that ONLY GOD can give them. Fast and pray for them. You can do this at a distance. Of course the hurt that comes from being deceived by a wolf can leave you scarred, angry and hurt but God will restore you in time. Strive to operate in love through continued kindness, but definitely don’t let yourself get entangled in their web of deceit again.

As you seek God for discernment, He’ll expose people’s hearts to you. As you pray, ask the Lord to reveal to you areas in your heart where your motives are not pure either (Lamentations 3:40). This is what our Christian journey is all about… Keeping our hearts pure before The Lord.

 

With Love Like Fire,

FireStarter International

 

 

My Fiance Never Was My ‘Boyfriend’

Ever since the engagement, many people have asked me questions about my relationship and the most prevalent one is “how long did you guys date?” The truth is we never did. He never asked me to be his girlfriend. He never asked me out on a solo date. We never even kissed. For as long as I’ve known him we were just friends… Friends that valued each other, prayed for one another, and wanted to see each other succeed in every area of life.

Read the remainder of the blog by clicking here.

Love Identified Me

The love of God has an amazing way of waking us up to reality. This loving reality causes us to become conscious and aware of the damaging effects of those things that we once perceived to bring us satisfaction, happiness, and self-assurance. If not identified and addressed appropriately, these very things can easily & quickly turn into pride and a false sense of security. This was the case for me!

For so many years, being told that I was “a good person,”  “a go-getter,” and would one day make “some man a lucky husband” led me to believe that all that I was engaging in must have been great in the sight of God. Clearly, I was incorrect in my thinking because every Sunday I went to church and every single Sunday, I could do nothing else but cry. I allowed others’ view of me to identify me to the point of having no clue of who I was. “Some man” turned into “this man” and “that man,” to “this ex-” and “that ex-.”   Before I knew it, I could no longer keep count of the number of different men I let enter my life… A life none of them understood or was willing to protect. This was the old me, Marckdaline St. Fort.

I remember it took me being in a relationship of three years for me to finally wake up. Though I accepted Christ at age 21, it took 8 years for me to encounter the true love of God for myself. This love began telling me how precious I was and that I only accepted those other relationships because I had no idea how much I was worth, valued, and loved. It was at this time I surrendered to God and asked Him to teach me of this love—His love! In this love, I learned that my decision with men was never about men. It was about seeking love, attention, validation, affection, and someone to trust in. It was a void which formed long before I became an adult!

I tried this Love for the first time. I had NO IDEA what I was missing all these years! I wondered why people didn’t tell me about the love of God sooner. MY GOODNESS! Three years later, I learned how to enjoy life without needing a man by my side. I’ve learned (…and am still learning) what it means to be a woman of God, to have confidence, to learn how to trust, and to truly experience joy.

Now, daily, I live in awe of how patient and perfect God is. He now uses my life as an example for the other young ladies experiencing the same things I used to experience (re: men and insecurities). Without judgment, I can be honest and share my history, my past, & current struggles with these young ladies while helping them ignite a fire of courage and boldness within themselves. Just as they are experiencing this LOVE, I invite you, too, to accept this loving fire of LOVE, joy, confidence, truth, acceptance, purity, and all that God has in store for you.

Catch the Fire,

Marckdaline “Marcky” St. Fort

The Love of God is greater than ANY situation that I can face… I thank Him for His love daily!

To learn more about Fire Starter International, visit www.firestarterintl.org

Obey His Way

At 18 years old I had my life all figured out… or so I thought.

I was fresh out of high school and enrolled in Florida International University to pursue a career in Nursing. A friend of mine invited me to church with her. I went.

Then the battle began… My will vs. His

God had His own plan for my life. He gave me His blueprint. It was completely different from mine. 1) He wanted me to change majors (from nursing to social work). 2) He wanted me to leave the relationship that I was in (I was in it for 4 years). 3) He wanted me to trust Him (with my life). I can’t even explain how hard this was for me to do. Months went by as I fought the conviction until I felt like I had no choice but to give in. My family was falling apart, my relationship was a mess and I was stuck in the middle of not knowing what to do. I needed answers that only He had, I needed guidance that only He could provide so I did what I thought was best… I obeyed Him.

Then came the struggle… The voices vs. His word

They would say that I was wasting my potential and that changing my major was a decision that I would regret. I didn’t listen to their voices. My ex would tell me that we should work things out. I couldn’t listen to his voice. I would tell myself that God could not be trusted and that my plans were better. I wouldn’t listen to my voice. His word is what I held on to because it was the only thing that I had to give me hope.

Here I stand… Now vs. Then

August 13, 2013 made it one year since I graduated from Florida International University with a bachelors degree in Social Work. I’m currently employed at Abstinence Between Strong Teens International, Inc. and I love it! I have the opportunity of working with teens and teaching them how to build strong healthy relationships while abstaining from sex until marriage. Who would’ve known?! I can’t even imagine where my life would be now if I didn’t obey God. (Honestly, I was only going to pursue nursing for the fat checks lol. I can’t stand the sight of blood!) I plan to attend grad school for Social Work this spring and I’m so excited! I continue to seek His will and hear His voice because without Him I am unstable and broken. He heals me and makes me as pure gold. I now know that whatever God says is meant to build faith in me. I listen to Him… even when it hurts.

Obedience… This is what God wants from me, from you, from all.

Love Your Fire Starter,

Barbara HisVirtuous Bee

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

(Below) Rocking my Abstinence is Hot T-Shirt… 5 years celibate baby!)

 

(Above) I know I look different lol.

Left:  Miramar High 2009 grad  Right: Florida International University 2012 BSW grad

To learn more about Fire Starter International, visit www.firestarterintl.org