“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverb 4:23( NIV)

Today I wanted to write about guarding our hearts because I feel like we do so many things without knowing that some of the things we do can hurt our hearts. God know everything we do and he knows that as humans we make stupid mistakes. He is telling us that we should be careful because the devil will constantly try to tempt us in every directions. So instead of letting us focus on the right direction, the devil will try to bring us to the twisted path which will lead to nothing but to our own doom.

As a teenager, I feel like I spend my days unconsciously making stupid decision without realizing that those decisions hurt me at the end of the day.  Not only does it hurt my heart, but it hurt my relationship with others and most importantly my relationship with God. I understand we have desires and wants. But it’s good to ask ourselves, “Is my desire in right with God?”, or “Is what I am doing the right thing?”

The world is full of enticing things.  When we dwell too much on things that are bad for us, it will gradually lead us away from God and from our own true self. We need to know that we are women of God and God meant us to grow like beautiful flowers, not to wither like grass. I want every girls to know that you’re worth so much more than anything. Jesus knew that and he showed us by hanging on that rugged cross for us.
So guard your heart from that guy, guard your heart from that drug, guard your heart from that obsession, guard yout heart from that hatred, guard your heart from that anger, and guard your heart from anything that will destroy you…

I know things are easier said than done. That’s why prayer is the key.  God hears all the prayers in our heart and there is no such thing as greater prayer. All prayers are important to God. God is always ready to hear what we have to say and he is happy when we pursue that relationship with him. My question is, “Will you pursue the selfish leader that try to bring you to death, or the loving father that already assure you peace through Jesus?

If you need a prayer for your heart comment below or on our instagram page @independentgirlsny                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                             God bless,
                                                                                                               Lynda… :)

Peer Pressure

Ladies,

Peer pressure is no bueno. Whether you're a freshman in high school or a senior in college it's only natural to experience peer pressure.

When you're an under class man in high school, the pressure can seem greater because you might want to impress and appeal to your upper class men "friends".

Quick story, as a freshmen, I used to have lots of senior friends. And these friends skipped class and drank in school. And me, wanting to seem cool, would cut English class and hide out backstage. And being even dumber, we'd pass around a water bottle full of rum.

Stupid because

A) who knew what kind of germs those kids were carrying
B) I could have caught monogitis eww
C) we could've got caught and thrown out of school
And
D) being drunk in school isn't cool, it's dumb. Even though it might seem fun at the moment

Even though I wasn't forced, I wanted to seem mature like them and not like such a goody too shoes. In the end, I failed an English and Trig test, AND my parents found out.

But Kim, what are you trying to tell me? This doesn't apply to me. You may ask yourself.


No one's forcing me to do this. I want to do this.
You only live once.
We're just having fun.
They're my friends, they wouldn't do something that would hurt me.
It's just one class. It's not that important.


If you find yourself saying these things, you are most likely being pressured to do things you wouldn't normally do.

So yeah don't drink, do drugs, skip school, cut class, shop lift etc just to appeal to your older friends.

Make sure to be true to yourself, and to believe in yourself even if someone else calls you lame or childish. Cause odds are, they're threatened of the fact that you're determined to get far in life and not end up in a dark never ending pit like them. Besides, if they are truly your friends, would they ask you to do something they know you wouldn't be comfortable doing?

So you admit that you're being pressured. What do you do?

Simply, just talk to your friends. Let them know what's going on. If they're truly your friends, they won't ask you to participate in said activities. If not, you're better off without them. Remember there are plenty of other wonderful amazing people who'd love to meet you.



Xo
Kim


Have you ever felt peer pressured? Leave a comment down below if you have, feel free to let us know.

On Your Mark, Get Set… GO!

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    I am sure you have heard that whenever a race is about to start; like in a running race. So, today topic is about RUNNING. To many of us think running is a tiring activity and it not the most fun way to workout. However, running has tons of positive health benefit for our body that we aren’t even aware of. Maybe this blog about running health benefit might change your mind…

Running is a…

STRESS RELIEVER

   
   Stress is one of the biggest causes to many disorders in our bodies. Stress can increase risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and other heart diseases. Everything around makes us stressed and sometimes our responsibilities is too heavy to bear. Family problem, school, jobs, failures, our future consumes our minds. We have to remember that these stresses can cloud our mind and will keep us from thinking positively. That’s why running is such a nice way to relieve our stress. Running will improve your mood and it makes you more energetic.

HEART PROTECTOR

    
    According to Center for Disease Control 600,000 people in the United Stated died of heart disease. The heart of woman is very vulnerable. If you think about it women has a lot of things to deal with. If you are young girls like me, we don’t have the experience of worrying about children yet. But think about other women who are married, like our moms. They have to worry about their jobs, their family, their friends, their kids, etc. That’s why running is one of the best ways to protect our heart. Running can lower your cholesterols, improves your blood pressure and decrease your change of heart attack.

FAT BURNER

    Running is a great source of fats burner. If your body goal is a lean tone body, running help you lose body fats. That’s why runner bodies look leaner. Start running! Running also help maintain weight.  However, it is important to know that your body needs fats too. Fats stores energy and it is a cushion for our body’s organs. Running is for shedding only unnecessary body fats.

MONEY SAVER

    Now if you are like me who doesn’t have a lot of money for gym membership, running is a good way to stay fit.  You don’t even have to spend money to buy a treadmill. Just lace up your sneakers, go outside and start running. (I only suggest you use treadmill if you are a busy person and have an office jobs). Since the beginning of time our ancestor has been running to hunt and even their mail man was runners. So get out there use you’re running instinct and save your money.

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    So join with me on the journey of running….! If you have any info on how running benefits us or if you have story of how running already improved your body, comment below or comment on our instagram page @independentgirlny…

                                                                                                                   Just keep running!

                                                                                                                                     Lynda

         

Half Way Up

    There are countless times that I've done things half way. Ate half the food my mom cooked me because i didn't like it, finished half my homework because I too lazy to do the rest, went half way with my sports career because I couldn't stand the pressure. I'm so full of halfs I can't remember when I've done something in full.
    This past Sunday I was really moved by something the preacher said. I wasn't all emotional about it and to be honest, at the time I didn't think it would have much of an effect on my life. But it did.


We read 2 Kings 13:

    King Jehoash of Israel ran to Elisha (a prophet) when he knew Israel might be defeated by the Arameans. Elisha commands the distressed Jehoash to open the window and shoot an arrow. He goes on to say that the arrow symbolized victory over Aram and all that good stuff... But what interested me was when Elisha commanded Jehoash to strike the ground:

"Then [Elisha] said,"Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the gorund." So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times. But the man of God was angry with him. "You should have struck the ground five or six times!" he exclaimed. "Then you would have beaten Aram until it was destoryed. Now you will be victorious only three times."

2Kings 13:18-19

    I can't help but think of the face a soccer player makes when they ALMOST make a goal.  IF ONLY King Jehoash would have struck the ground more than three times would Israel have victory over Aram forever. Three times he hit the ground, only half of what was required for eternal victory. So easily he missed the mark.
    Doesn't this happen to most of us? Don't we start something we're so full of veal about, but never finish it? There are so many times I've stopped at the half way mark: half way done with my homework, half way done with my bible reading... So many times I sworn on my great great great grand uncle's grave that I would "do better next time" only to stick my toe in water and say "nah, I can't do it."

    The preacher that Sunday spoke about something that stood out to her on a recent trip to Hawaii. Her and a couple of other people were headed up a mountain. At first they started out excited to reach the top. They quickly became tired and  took many breaks to rest. They weren't even half way up the mountain when they decided that they couldn't go any further. She said as people came down form the top , they would rave about the beautiful view at the top of the mountain. The view she would never see because she gave up.

    If you noticed, we start falling astray from our initial goal when we want to take "breaks" aka excuses.

"I can't read my bible today I was busy."

"I couldn't work out because I was too sick."

"I can't because I'm too tired from doing nothing all day."

    Just like she said in her story, they took breaks because the were too tired of walking. Little by little those small breaks they took held them back from getting to the top. The little excuses we make hold us back from the victory the Lord wants for us. The view at the top of mountain could have been her victory if she just kept going.

    To be a little more personal, that specific day I was frustrated with the Lord because I couldn't see how any of my prayers were making a difference. I was yelling at him. Funny thing is, I go to church and the first thing the preacher says is "if you've been praying about something keep praying. Don't stop half way and give up. Keep crying out because the Lord will move in your prayers." Slap to the face.

    I just want you girls to know that no matter what you're starting right now, you better finish it. If you're praying salvation over family members, keep praying. Don't stop. You might be like Jehoash, three strikes away from restoration in your family. If you're working hard to get in shape, don't quick, you're three strikes away from that goal. If there is a class you struggle in, don't stop, you're three strikes away. If you've been struggling with economical finances and need to pay for school or your family needs help, don't sop, you're three strikes away from financial victory. If you just started a relationship with the Lord, don't stop, you're three strikes away from a true relationship with him.
    Girls, let's be young woman of our word. Let's start something and let's finish it. Be doers. Act upon it. And let's not be okay with spiritual complacency. He wants to take us from glory to glory, don't be okay with just half way.

  

Sorry, no fun post for today. I just want to get something off my mind. Priscilla

5 Beauty Essentials For School

Girls,

School is almost starting! Crazy I know. I can't believe summer is over (insert tears here). 

While I'm not the person to wake up an hour early on school days just to make sure my hair and makeup are perfect, I do have 5 essentials that I never leave my house without. And without further a do, here they are...

1. Mascara

Mascara can give the illusion of longer, more voluminous lashes, bigger eyes and it takes less than a minute to apply.
Lately I've been using the L'Oréal Butterfly mascara. I love that it doesn't clump and fans out my naturally long lashes. As you can see I love all the Maybelline mascaras. It's kind of an addiction.

2. Hair ties/hair clips/hair pins

You never know when mother nature or even an intense phys ed  period will strike and frizz up your hair, so you've gotta be prepared.
I've recently been using tiny hair clips (I'm sorry bows!).

3. Lip balm/gloss

Never suffer having dry lips. It stinks, it's totes not cute and it makes you feel totes not cute.  Moisturize your lips between classes ladies (you never know when you'll spot your crush jk). 
My all-time fave balm is def Nivea because it moisturizes like a dream and doesn't dry out my lips at all like Chapstick and Blistex do. For gloss I love the Clinque and Revlon line.

4. Oil absorbing sheets

Being oily is just not fun. Could I be any more obvious? After a long day at school and gym class and sweating your face might get a wee bit oily. Oil absorbing sheets are awesome in that, they'll get the oil off your gorg skin and won't ruin your makeup (total win).
I have combination skin type and I tend to get oily on the bridge of my nose and my chin. Ugh not cute. So thank heavens for oil absorbing sheets. ☺

Last but certainly not least....

5. Compact Mirror

I think that carrying one is just sooo important. I don't know how much I can stress it.  You might have friends who are too nice to tell you that type got your lunch stuck between your teeth (like I do). Or you might have friends who mess around with you, or maybe you don't have any friends :(. But hey, at least your mirror won't lie to you and will be there for you through thick and thin.
But what I'm trying to say is that if you go to school with your makeup/hair on point, don't go the rest of the day blind; you don't know if your mascara or lipstick has smudged or if your ponytail isn't smooth (its happened to be before.... soooo embarrassing).

So there are my top 5 beauty essentials. If you have some beauty essentials, let us know what they are in the comments down below.

XO,
Kim 

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