The Make Up Behind Your Make-Up : Bronzer

So I remember I use to see girls that just GLOWED. They had a tan like color to their skin and I felt like they glowed. So I youtubed ( I youtube pretty much EVERYTHING) how to get a glowy tan using make-up. I found the solution... BRONZER. I felt the Hallelujah song playing in the background , HA! I was so ready to go to the store and get me some of that bronzy goodness for myself. I went to the store, picked out one I thought looked like it would give me a hint of the glow, and took it home to try. I fell in love. I felt so confident, and I just thought I was too cute.


who else knows that God will humble you REAL QUICK and make you think about some things in the smallest situations?!??!

I was feeling myself, and God began to speak to me and say " Your outer glow is beautiful, but what does your inner glow look like."

I realized...there is something about a woman who is passionate and on fire for God that is so different then just a regular woman. It is like the more time you spend in God's presence... the more beautiful you become! Her clothes seem to look better.. her hair seems more shiny... she radiates life! It is beautiful. But where does this all come from?

The bible says in Matthew 5:14

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. "

God called you to be a light in this world! You hold the holy spirit inside of you and you need to show it. The second part of the verse goes on to say that " a town built on a hill cannot be hidden," God will elevate you in Him, He will set you on that hill so you can't hide or blend in to the rest of the world, but so you can be a light to a dark place. 


You are suppose to shine so bright that people look at you and question what you have! They want to talk to  you, they feel a NEED to be in your space, because you radiate. Now,Don't get cocky, none of this is for YOUR glory.. it is ALL God's! People only want to be in YOUR face because you are on YOUR face before the throne. So shine your light.. but re-direct them back to the cross!

"“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ..." -Matthew 6:1-34 

Stay humble... you aren't glowing for you.. you are glowing for HIM....

"

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” -John 8:12

When you know the Lord, you no longer walk in darkness! You are no longer bound by the things of this world.. you have FREEDOM. Your "glow" illustrates your freedom in Christ! You look new, you look shiny, you look restored! 

" If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have past away, and all things are new." 2nd Corinthians 5:17

What does this verse say??? You look new..because you ARE new! God made you a new creation the moment you accepted Jesus Christ into your heart as your savior. You were bound to transform into this radiant ball of light! God made you new so that you could be a walking,living testimony for those who yearn for NEW! You are God's painting of what life looks like once you have found Him. 

So what do you do if you don't feel like you glow! 

You COULD go to Walgreens and get some bronzer.. but that is only surface, it gets deeper than that! 

SO... how can you glow from the inside out?!??!

1. Press In 

-  Press in to the things of God! Get on your face before Him, make your relationship with Him stronger daily! My best days are the days were I have gotten up, and put on my full armor of God! I am protected spiritually which keeps me protected physically and mentally.. it is a trickle down affect! The very best way to get that inner to outer glow is to remain on your face, humbly before God's throne of grace. There is so much beauty at His feet.. it is bound to rub off on you! 

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." -Ephesians 6:10-18

2.Learn to praise God anyway

- There is this beautiful thing about someone who can take the best from even the worst situation! People want to be around positive people,"you can't have a positive life and have a negative mind," but it is a few steps deeper than that positivity. Praising God no matter what will make your beauty so much more defined. People will see God getting the glory from your life even in the worst days. I know that I personally always gravitate toward people who can see how bad life might have been but how GOOD God always is! You glow MOST when people see God's hand on you through any and everything! 

1 Peter 5:10

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him

Romans 12:12

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

It is those that keeps these scriptures in their hearts and minds that glow in every situation. Be that kind of woman! 

3. STAY in God's word and walk FAITHFULLY with the Lord

Deuteronomy 28:1-68

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ...

This verse always blows my mind! This is the KEY to glowing! When you are faithful to God, He gives you this increase that you just can not even believe. He sets you over THE NATIONS of the earth and just blesses your socks off! That is were you obtain your favor, your light, your glow. When you faithfully and diligently seek God's truth, He blesses you. God is like that amazing friend who is grateful for your friendship so they give you sweet gifts, but it isn't about the gifts He gives you.. it is about the best part of your friendship... growing closer to Him daily! 

You get to glow to show people how amazing God is! And the best part about it is, He really doesn't need to use you, He is amazing on His own, He just wants to use you! He sees you as a crucial part of His plans. That is BEAUTIFUL, that makes you BEAUTIFUL! 

Pray to receive God's glow on your life! He will give it to you! I asked Him for His glow one day, and I prayed and prayed and prayed ( I wanted it so bad!) One day, I was walking through church and this sweet lady i had never met before tugged on my arm. I smiled and she said " You GLOW! You are so beautiful.. you GLOW!" I was so stoked! HA! God had done it! But it wasn't my prayer that made me glow, it was the fact that through me wanting to "glow" I stayed on my face in prayer with God. I was in constant communication with my heavenly father, and I became this powerhouse for the Lord. My relationship with God became stronger and I began to see Him manifest Himself in my daily life, to people who didn't even know me! It is so beautiful!

I encourage you, 

Look at your life and how you can do more to glow more. No bronzer can give you it, not even a sun-kissed tan will make it happen, ONLY GOD can make you radiate from the inside out!  

The people of God should radiate a beauty that is unexplainable! We should be some breath taking.. mind blowing people! We should walk into a room and change the entire atmosphere... we should turn heads.. but MOST importantly change HEARTS! We are to GLOW from the inside out so that people who do not know God..yearn for what we have!.. are you glowing for God's glory?

Love you SOOOOO SOOO MUCH!!!!!!

GO OUT AND GLOW!

Love,

Nicole L. 

P.S

Rest in Peace To Talia. She was AMAZING at doing a natural glow and she had it going on inside and out! I adored her spirit watching her through her numerous Youtube videos and my thoughts and prayers are with her family! <3

The Make Up behind your Make-Up : Foundation

Hey Everyone, 


So As I recently posted, I am starting a series of blogs entitled " The Make Up BehindYour Make-Up." I talk about the vision HERE ----->>> The Beginning of The Make Up Behind Your Make-Up <<<----
So if you want to know the inspiration behind the series.. .make sure you read that first. 

I hope you enjoy this series :) 




When I put on my make-up, the very first thing I typically reach for is my foundation. My foundation is essential to my make- up routine in  fact that it is the base for which the rest of my make up will be applied to, and it creates a great surface for all of my make-up to flow beautifully onto my face. 

The word " foundation" is defined as "A body or ground on which other parts rest or are overlaid." 

A foundation to ANYTHING in life is a crucial element to being any solid, maintaing structure. From a house, to your face, foundation is critical in properly putting together works of art. The foundation is what is laid FIRST before anything else is built, it is the determining factor as to whether you will have a solid, long standing structure, or whether everything will crumble under pressure. 

So here is the same question God posed to me: " What is your foundation, and how strong is it being built?"

When God posed this question to me, I gave Him that " Christian answer." You know , " God...of COURSE, YOU are my foundation." But God told me, get REAL with Him. Was my foundation REALLY Him? Or was I standing on something else?

I began to really evaluate everything that I leaned on in my life.What was I allowing to be a structure for me to stand on, and how stable was I? 

Looking into this question was really hard.Sometime self-reflecting will be difficult, but it is necessary for growth in Christ. Self-reflection allows you to see where you TRULEY are, don't be afraid to get real with yourself, then you can get REAL with God. 

So as I began to look at my life, I saw that God was like little pieces of rock in my foundation, but He wasn't the surface of my foundation. It was like God was a little piece of the structure, and everything else I allowed to influence me became the actual foundation for my life. 

I can honestly tell you... 


I wasn't solid. 


In fact, 

I was probably in the most unstable place I could have ever been in, in my life. 


This new found fact about myself literally BROKE everything in me. 

I had to change my whole state of mine. I had to literally allow God to TEAR down all the foundation that I had built on my own, and ask Him to re-build His foundation in my life. 


Okay....


So where do you begin?!??! 


How does God begin to wreck everything you built on your own and then re-build everything from the ground up?

For God , it is BEYOND simple, YOU are the one who built that original, old, raggedy, broke down, busted and disgusted foundation of yours! He can easily tear down that and start over, He is the God of creation, He just needs an invitation from you personally to start over! 


So what are some key components ingredients in your " Make Up" Foundation??????







APPLYING THE WORD: 

Luke 6:47-49

Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

This verse tells you EXACTLY how to " invite God" to start re-building everything about you. You have to hear God's words and DO THEM. Doing God's word is a HUGE factor in making your life everything that God intends for it to be.

" I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." ( Psalm 119:11) 

When you have God's word hidden inside of  you, it makes it difficult to be an unstable person, but ONLY if you apply it. God's word is the key to having a solid foundation. Build your foundation with HIS WORD. 

APPLYING HIS WILL: 

Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God has plans for you beyond anything you could conjure up in your head! STOP TRYING TO BUILD yOUR FOUNDATION ON YOUR OWN! You will FAIL FAIL FAIL. How can you even THINK that you can do better than God can? Let Your life be built on Him. He is the SOLID ROCK (Matthew 7:24-27). You stand on HIM and you will be unwavering in your faith and in a lot of other aspects of your world too.

Ephesians 2:10 

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

You were created for good works! You were made to glorify the kingdom of God. You have to understand this in order to understand that your foundation being rooted and grounded in Christ is so crucial to your ENTIRE walk with God. 

DO NOT WAIVER : 

James 1:6

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

Stand tall and firm on the foundation that God builds for you! Know that if God has built you up, NOTHING can tear you down. God builds SOLID things. HE doesn't create just to create, He has purpose. If you allow Him to mold you, and shape you, your foundation will be set in STONE. You will be able to stand against anything the enemy tries to bring your way! I encourage you today, evaluate your foundation. Get a life inspection! If you discover that God has not built up your foundation and that you are not standing knee deep in Him, then ask Him to tear you down and start over! Tell Him to MAKE YOU OVER! He will do it... I know because He did it for me! I pray that you all got SOMETHING from this. Know that God's foundation is only the beginning to the beautiful things He wants to build in you! " On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!"

WELCOME to " The Make Up behind your Make-Up" series! 

I love and adore each of you!!!!!

Nicole L. <3

Love.... THE BEGINNING OF: "The Make Up Behind Your Make-Up"

Hey Beauties!

So a while ago God gave me this VISION for a conference and the theme was " The Make up behind your Make-up!" I was so excited, and still am for this to take place. I was prepared to make things happen, but God said.." Not Yet!" SOO... Not yet! BUT... He recently laid this theme back on my heart. He began speaking to me about it and told me to WRITE. Write out exactly what He described to me with this theme. SOOOO... This is IT! I am going to start a series... every month for the next six months, (or so) I will be doing a blog pertaining to make-up.. but not so much Make up... GET IT? Not yet? Flow with me.

God gave me this vision of how various things we wear on our faces apply to His word and some biblical principles that we HAVE to learn in order to have a successful and complete "face" or in this case.. a healthy and flourishing relationship with God.



You are made up of SO many components, but there are some key components that are crucial to your walk with Christ.

WHO ARE YOU?

We are going to dive DEEP into what your Make up should consist of.
What types of products are in your spiritual make-up bag and how well do you know how to apply them?

God has laid specific aspects of the Christian walk on my heart to speak with you all about these next six months! Gosh I am so excited for you all to hear the amazing, thought provoking things God has been whispering in my ear.

I have been working on applying all of these "make-up" products to my own spiritual life , and God is just showing me how His make up is ten times more beautiful than anything Mac or Sephora can provide you!

His glory is made evident in all of the supplies in your make- up bag!



 I am so excited to do this.. it is really going to be good! God just keeps giving me more and more on this topic.. and I am so ready to share this with you guys! Stay posted... God is going to show you " The Make up Behind Your Make-Up." <3

In the mean time... while I prepare to make God's vision for this go off smoothly... I want you all to continue to read the previous blog posts, encourage your friends and family to do the same!

I believe that God has had me in this place of not writing for a while to prepare for this very moment. I have had some time to take and reflect on the things of God and now it is time for Him to just do what He wants. I want Him to Have His way! 

I am so excited for yall to just see God's vision made evident in this!

I encourage you guys to continue to let God move in your worlds! Don't stop letting Him have His way! Keep loving on each other... our goal forever and ever is to ...

LOVE OUT LOUD AND LOVE ON PURPOSE! 

Be Blessed Pretties, 

Nicole L. 

Love Me... Enough to Stay Pure

WHEW! It has been a while since I wrote a blog! I have just been so busy my life has gotten pretty crazy.. but that is NO EXCUSE... and I have MISSED writing.. so I am super excited to get back to the blogging life!! I have some time to sit down and write and God has been nudging me for a while about this particular blog post. I have hesitated because.. for me... it honestly ,until recently, has been kind of uncomfortable for me to talk about. SOOO here goes nothing!


God has been tugging at my heart strings about sexual purity for a while. I think it is a topic that so often in the body of Christ we just cover over with a simple "stay abstinent.. if you aren't a virgin.. be celibate.. and call it a day!" But it is not that simple. There are so many struggles...temptations... tv commercials alone are enough to have you stumbling..so a simple "remain abstinent/celibate" ... simply is not enough! So how do we stay sexual pure in a society that encourages sexual immorality?

It is ROUGH ROUGH ROUGH.. yet EASY EASY EASY...

The answers are in the WORD of God...

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 

God said it in His word! You CAN overcome temptation! It does not have to rule your world..just because it is in your world! God says He will provide a way OUT! Temptation WILL come your way.. but there is an escape route.. His name is Jesus.. run to Him QUICKLY and don't look back! 

The very best way to maintain  ( because temptation will happen!) is to evaluate what you are watching,listening to, taking in, hanging around, looking at... etc. 

"Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways." Psalm 119:37 

TURN YOUR EYES! If you struggle with lust.. why are you looking at things that cause you to lust?!??! Walking away is a simple option to a lot of things... It can be the difference between you doing something you regret and you keeping your sanctification in Christ. Choose wisely! 

The reactions I get to my testimony crack me u every time! The moment I say " I am a 22 year old virgin," ears perk up and people listen. I have been told I am a liar ( because virginity seems impossible I guess!), I have been told I probably live in a box and don't get out much ( definitely not true.. I am a very outgoing girl and love hanging out!), and I also get the reaction that I must be " so holy" to have lived this way! ( also so far from true it couldn't be any more false lol.. )

So what made me make the decision to remain a virgin until my wedding date? 

At a very early age ( I wasn't always saved so Jesus wasn't the reason until I got saved!) I made the decision to be different. I saw so many girls giving so many men EVERYTHING they had .. only to be left in the dust for the next chick. I promised myself that that would NEVER be me! Baby mama drama in high school was enough to keep me far away from " getting it in." I didn't want to risk the lifetime consequences for the temporary pleasure.. it just was not worth it for me! 

When I got saved and surrendered my life to God... my virginity became even more important. But life did get MORE real. I saw a lot of my friends having sex and telling me I was missing out. I literally felt like I was! I felt like such a lame girl. Why hadn't I had sex...just gotten it over with and done what everyone else did? When my friends would talk about their experiences I would just sit there in the corner with nothing to share. I was convinced I was lame. But the closer I got to God.. the more that I realized the enemy wanted me to feel like I was a lame! The enemy knew my virginity was the one thing that he could not get to.. and he didn't like it! So the devil would plant things in my head ( and he still does ALL THE TIME.. *Side Note: the enemy will only live in your mind if you let him.. KICK HIS SORRY BUTT OUT!*). He tells me things like "you will never find a man who is willing to wait for you. " And, " Nobody wants to date a virgin... you are crazy!" But what does the devil know?? NOTHING.. he is a LIAR and the truth is not in him! 

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" -2 Corinthians  10:3-5

Trust that God has someone who is willing to wait on you.. in fact.. He has someone who will INSIST on waiting for you.. because he will be a man who respects you and your body! 

The question I am usually asked... Am I tempted??

HECK YES! 

Sex is a good thing... it was designed by God.. BUT only for MARRIAGE... not for ANYTHING ELSE! 

How do I fight temptation?

When I am tempted ( and believe me the struggle is real!) I honestly talk to God in my head. He reminds me of all the  reasons I have promised to keep myself for marriage and then He reminds me of all the ways HE keeps me!

"So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." -Romans 6:11-14

 I am determined to have this special gift set aside specifically for my amazing ,God sent husband! It will be an experience that I get to share with him. I will be able to look him in his face and tell him in my Elle Varner voice  "I only want to give it to you!" lol. SERIOUSLY... I want my husband to feel special.. what better way to do that than to show him he has ALL of me! A part of me that NO ONE else in this world will EVER have but him! 

NOW...

If you have had sex.. or are having sex....

I encourage you to STOP. If you are not married.. STOP. God has seasons for every part of your life.. this is NOT your season for sex... SIMPLE. You CAN remain celibate ! It will be hard... probably ten times more difficult than it is for someone like me who has never experienced it.. but it is doable! Honor yourself, your future spouse, and MOST importantly, God with your body! Choose purity! 

"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." -1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Always chose God's best for your life! Tell your flesh to SHUT UP.. you don't obey it.. you obey God! He rules your life!

God loves each of you SO much!!!!!!!!!!

Nicole L.