Have you ever sat down, as a Christian woman, and thought about how hard it is to be strong? I sometimes find it hard to get up in the morning and look in the mirror and truly believe that I am made in the image of Christ with my droopy eyes, grey skin covered in acne, and the wildest hair. But we ARE made in the image of Christ are we not? He even tells us so. So how do we do it?

I asked my friend Amber how she kept strong in her faith one day while I was sitting in her dorm. She looked to the left of her and stared at what I thought was space, but in reality, she was looking on her bed frame at a sticky note she had stuck upon it. It read " Don't Let Faith Give Way To Fear". We then started talking about how much of a struggle being in college and pursuing the career God planned for us to take was intimidating at times. In a sense I realized how much faith it must take for Amber to become a nurse with all of the crazy classes she has to take. The conversation we had that late afternoon showed me that we can not let fear overtake our faith. We need to stand strong and lean on God in our weary times rather than run away and hide.

There are endless ways to stay strong in our faith to Jesus, but in this article, I am going to explain to you what helps me in my walk.

One of the ways that helps me stay strong is my group of Godly women. Starting every Sunday morning at 10 am I would drive to do a group devotional in my pajamas (bless this opportunity) where I would sit with, on a regular day, about seven women and we would talk, study our bibles, and pray over one another. This helped me a ton because not only did I get to start off my week great and pointed towards Christ, but I got to create a bond with women older and younger than me. I no longer get the chance to go as often to these groups ( but that is because I am now a Sunday school teacher within the church that we had these devotionals) but I still remain extremely close with all of them ( I mean we do go to the same church so it is easy to do so , praise God) and talk to them all the time. I believe that if I did not get the opportunity to create relationships with Godly women like themselves, I would feel alone and my relationship with Christ would not have grown as much as it has. These women pushed me and encouraged me and they definitely have influenced my life. So if you get any thing from this, I would want it to be that surrounding yourself with Godly women, or Godly people, definitely helps remain strong in your faith.

Another thing that I have done, or in this instance, changed, is what I listen to. I have found that when I listen to worship music all the time, not only am I in a better mood, but that I truly worship God a lot more. My favorite thing to do is to go for a drive by myself at the crack of dawn when the world is starting to wake up with my favorite worship music turned all the way up and i just scream sing and cry tears of love, joy, or hurt. If you have not found any Christian artists that you like, here is a list of my favorites:

1. Hillsong United

2. Bethel Music

3. Elevation Worship

4. Lauren Daigle

5.NF

6. Crowder

7. NEEDTOBREATHE

8.Passion

9. Switchfoot

10. Tenth Avenue North

11. for KING & COUNTRY

I truly hope that you found the positive change in your mood, your day, and your life like I have.

One of the last things (not really) I do, is pray or talk to God. I have conversations with him like he is right in front of me, a tangible human. I do this a lot, and some people may think its cliche, but for me it truly works. I find that if I speak to him throughout my day, God seems to become a priority and the focus of everything I do. Whether I am struggling or succeeding, I talk to him about my days or my worries, or give him praise. Talking to him throughout my day has become like an instinct, or a healthy habit, and makes my day easier. So if you see me walking by myself and it looks like I am talking to no one, just know that I am talking to someone, the Lord.

These seem like simple tasks, but having them incorporated into my every day life has made my days go by better and fulfilled. There has been no greater joy for me then being able to become close to God every single day and have him provide me guidance and strength through whatever trial I am in. Having these ways helps me take the focus off of myself, and give it all to him. It helps me see the better picture and reminds me of my purpose to live for him. It challenges me to put unnecessary things aside and to put him in the place of importance. God is so ready to start a relationship with each and everyone of us, and creating that bridge, for me, has been the greatest decisions I have made. It is so prominent. So even if it is hard to believe that your a God's child, or that you have a purpose bigger than you could even dream, do not be fearful. Take the risk and trust. Trust God.