Give it up, if it doesn't glorify God !!!

                                          "I can't give it up!!!"
                                          "I just have to have it"
                                          "Why would I give this up?"
                                         "It's just Dark music, why do I have to give it up?"
                                        " If God told me to give this up, then why do I have to give this up too??"

Have you ever asked or said any of that? I have, but God helped me through that!!!

       I have struggled with this issue recently. It was when I was sitting on my bed going through my old song lyrics and listening to Evanescence. I used to write songs and poems about dark and depressing things. God told me a week after I got saved "Hope, you need to get rid of those past items!!!". I had did exactly what he told me to. I started going through my stuff and I had realized that I had more that I needed to give up. God has helped me rewrite 3 of those songs and they still have the same music to them:)  When I got saved, God had told me to give up Secular music,my old song lyrics and poems, my booty shorts, a Black Veil Brides Poster, some friends and a guy that I used to really really like!!! It was hard for me to give up that stuff!!! Later on, God made me realize that I don't need that stuff. Now, I write Christian rock songs and poems about God, and I am very modest!!! My past is my Trophy, and it's now on my trophy case!!! God makes us realize that our past and regrets, can now be known as trophys because we have given them up!!! God wants us to remove anything that's holding us back from glorifying him!!! It may be hard to do this, but God WILL help us along the way!!!

There was this boy that I used to like alot!!! I had met him in the 9th grade,and liked him for 2 years. I had given my evreything to that one boy. And guess What? I got really hurt emotionally by that one boy too!!! When I got saved, God told me "Hope, you can't be liking that boy anymore! He has made you cry and hurt soooo much! I want you to stop hanging out with him all together! Give him up!!!" I was confussed and mad at God for telling me that! When, I actually listened to him, he had told me"Now things are going to be much better without him! I want you to listen to me,and become closer to me. Along the way, I will bring you someone I want to be with you! Someone that has found you through me!!! I am your father, and I just want you to know that I love you very much!!!" Now that I had given up liking that boy, I am soooo much happier and closer to God. Giving up that boy is another one of my trophys!!!!

It's stuff like bad music, boys, friends, etc, that keep us from getting closer to God!!! If you just give them up for God, you would be glad that you did. Those sacrifices you give to God will be your trophys!!!