Have you ever been so thankful for everything that God has provided for you even when you're going through a tough time? Let me tell you, it is absolutely awesome! For the past few days, I haven't been doing well. Let's just say that it looks like I've genetically inherited some disease-ish kinda thing from my dad...In the midst of this trial, I still choose to praise God for the amazing blessings He has bestowed upon me! Another obstacle is in my way, but I choose to glorify Christ and spread the Gospel anyway! I really don't mind suffering as long as I have Jesus!
Man, seriously the fire I have for Christ and the Gospel and knowing Jesus more intimately is huge! It's not some tiny spark, it's a huge flame! I've been praying for the desire to desire Jesus and God has totally answered! I've been so addicted to the Bible too! I have been reading a lot of the New Testament, getting a grasp of where everything is, and trying to equip myself for the time when someone wants to hear the Gospel! I'm gonna be memorizing more Scripture and actively living my life for the sake of Christ! I've been challenged and convicted by what the Scriptures say regarding how believers are to live their lives and quite frankly, I don't see any change in Christians that are in the church these days! The Bible is pretty clear when addressing the fact that Christians are to stand out from the world. In James chapter 4, it says how friendship with the world is hatred toward God. That's pretty serious when you think about it. Many Christians nowadays think they can have the "best of both worlds" and still be "christian enough". According to the Bible, that's not the case. I'm following Jesus the way Scripture says we are ought to. There are only two roads: the narrow road which leads to life, and the wide road that leads to destruction; there is no middle road. I'm taking the narrow road!
I continue to ask for God's guidance and wisdom regarding aspects of my life. Matthew 6:33 comes to mind regarding my needs in this life. In fact, Matthew 6:25-34 all comes to mind, haha! I choose to set my eyes and mind on Christ and sharing the Gospel; God will provide my needs accordingly! What comfort :)
June 21, 2011
June 16, 2011
It's Summertime! It's Jesus Time!!
Finally summer is here!! That makes me sooo happy! No papers or crazy deadlines! That takes a lot of stress off of me and that's always a good thing :) Aside from the fact that I'm still going to work and taking a summer class, I think this summer is gonna be quite enjoyable!
Thing is, this summer I don't want it to be about me. Sure, I would absolutely love to go to the beach as often as I can (considering the fact that I have a seriously questionable farmer's tan), go on bike rides, chill and hang out with friends, any summer thing people do. But I feel it would be a waste. I'm here on this earth for such a short time, and that's if I live to 80- or 100-years-old! I could die today or even before the next semester starts! If that were to happen, would God be pleased with the way I spent my free time? I don't think going to the beach while having a blast and getting a tan would please Him. I mean sure, it's fine to have fun and there's nothing wrong with it, but since we are here for a greater purpose, I wouldn't want to sit around and have everything be about me. That's the last thing I want.
This summer, I want to sit down and read God's Word. I want to get to know my Lord and Savior better, day by day. I want to worship Him and acknowledge how amazing His love is for me. I want to be more like Him and for others to see the love of Jesus through me! That sure sounds like a much better summer plan to me! In the book of Philippians 3:7-10, Paul says that "whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." These are words from a man that is in prison and is suffering for the sake of the Gospel and he STILL considers all the good things he had as a loss! How many of us have that attitude? That's the attitude I've been working on. And you know what? The more I get to know Christ, the more I have been seeing how the things this world offers me are pointless when I know Jesus!
So this summer, it's about pleasing and serving Christ in everything I do (as it should always be)! I want to spend time with Him and I want a chance to share the Gospel with someone this summer! I think it's going to be quite an amazing summer, don't you think?
Thing is, this summer I don't want it to be about me. Sure, I would absolutely love to go to the beach as often as I can (considering the fact that I have a seriously questionable farmer's tan), go on bike rides, chill and hang out with friends, any summer thing people do. But I feel it would be a waste. I'm here on this earth for such a short time, and that's if I live to 80- or 100-years-old! I could die today or even before the next semester starts! If that were to happen, would God be pleased with the way I spent my free time? I don't think going to the beach while having a blast and getting a tan would please Him. I mean sure, it's fine to have fun and there's nothing wrong with it, but since we are here for a greater purpose, I wouldn't want to sit around and have everything be about me. That's the last thing I want.
This summer, I want to sit down and read God's Word. I want to get to know my Lord and Savior better, day by day. I want to worship Him and acknowledge how amazing His love is for me. I want to be more like Him and for others to see the love of Jesus through me! That sure sounds like a much better summer plan to me! In the book of Philippians 3:7-10, Paul says that "whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." These are words from a man that is in prison and is suffering for the sake of the Gospel and he STILL considers all the good things he had as a loss! How many of us have that attitude? That's the attitude I've been working on. And you know what? The more I get to know Christ, the more I have been seeing how the things this world offers me are pointless when I know Jesus!
So this summer, it's about pleasing and serving Christ in everything I do (as it should always be)! I want to spend time with Him and I want a chance to share the Gospel with someone this summer! I think it's going to be quite an amazing summer, don't you think?
June 11, 2011
Prayer
Isn't prayer amazing?? Just think: you can freely talk to the God of the universe; the God who created you and knows every single thing about you; the God who cares about every aspect of your life, large and small!! And you can talk to Him anywhere! As believers, I think we tend to forget about the power and amazingness of prayer. I never really realized how much of a part of my life prayer really was until I examined how much I pray! Seriously, I talk to God all day every day! Whatever task I'm in the middle of, I'm talking to God at the same time. I tell Him my struggles, fears, joys, frustrations, problems, etc. I talk to Him about, basically, everything! Not only do I vent, but I constantly ask for wisdom, guidance, and leading. I don't know where I would be if God hadn't led me!
Lately I've been praying pretty hard about a number of things that have been on my mind, even little things! And to know that God cares about all of it is a huge comfort to me! While meeting with the two middle schoolers recently, we went over the subject of prayer. And let me tell you, I learned a lot even though I was the one teaching! In fact, I don't like saying that I'm teaching because I seem to learn more than actually teach, lol! I discovered a lot of things about prayer that just amaze me! And knowing that God won't blab your secrets to everyone and that He will be by your side throughout anything and everything is mind-blowing! How many human beings can you say the same for?
In all things, I encourage you readers to pray! I just felt a need to write this :) Talk to God about whatever is on your mind and ask for His wisdom! He won't disappoint! You can't have a relationship without constant communication! :D
Philippians 4:6-7
Lately I've been praying pretty hard about a number of things that have been on my mind, even little things! And to know that God cares about all of it is a huge comfort to me! While meeting with the two middle schoolers recently, we went over the subject of prayer. And let me tell you, I learned a lot even though I was the one teaching! In fact, I don't like saying that I'm teaching because I seem to learn more than actually teach, lol! I discovered a lot of things about prayer that just amaze me! And knowing that God won't blab your secrets to everyone and that He will be by your side throughout anything and everything is mind-blowing! How many human beings can you say the same for?
In all things, I encourage you readers to pray! I just felt a need to write this :) Talk to God about whatever is on your mind and ask for His wisdom! He won't disappoint! You can't have a relationship without constant communication! :D
Philippians 4:6-7
June 09, 2011
God is Good! All the Time!
God is good! All the time!
What a simple, but often overlooked truth! I gotta say, if God provides all your needs in every way, shape, and form, how CAN you overlook that? I do have to admit though, I am (most unfortunately) guilty of that at times :P Today I read Psalm 13 and it's about David feeling like God is not paying attention to him and that He isn't gonna pull through during the hard times he was going through, but then David thinks about how God has pulled through and provided in numerous occasions and he praises Him for that! Well right now, I feel quite like David in that chapter. In fact, how many of us DON'T feel like that at times?? God really does have a different way of doing things than us. Sometimes it's frustrating and you just want to rip your hair out because of the "God, You're going too slow" feeling. As humans (and especially in this day and age), we just want things the way we want it and now. Just look at fast food, high speed internet (even internet on phones), and overnight shipping! It's no wonder we can't utilize patience and contentment! As christians, that just makes it more of a challenge, but I know it's possible to do...just not on our own! :P
I swear I sound like a broken record, but seriously, life can just be difficult and annoying at times! Especially thinking about the future! There is sooo much to think about and seemingly so little time! (You're probably thinking, "Oh dear, here he goes again..."). But really, even though I may sound confident in where God is leading me in life, I never fully am until I have reached that point. Even when it seems like God has made something "crystal clear" or "undoubtedly revealed", I STILL pray about the matter anyways! I think if we're trusting God to lead us to where He wants us in life, we should ALWAYS pray for His guidance and wisdom, even when we already feel sure. If you have everything figured out...you're not human! haha! I thought so many times God was showing me something or revealed something to me and it ended up changing at some point. I kinda learned from there on, to be honest, lol! God has a way of flipping things around if He desires and if you're not ready, or not expecting it, you're going to be in for a real shock! Basically, never say "never"! And I'm not referring to Justin Bieber, hahaha!!
The discipling I'm doing is going pretty well, but I have to admit, it is hard to get into the mindset of a middle schooler when you feel so past that age, lol! My thinking and personality are so different that I feel like I just can't relate to them. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love discipling, but perhaps middle schoolers aren't "my thing". The problem is, I can't really do high schoolers at the moment because I'm so close in age with them, so that's why I think middle schoolers are the better choice for now. I also still pray if this is what God wants me to do right now. 'Cause honestly, I'm not really sure if I should be discipling at the moment. As I said, I still pray about something even when it seems all "put together", because you never know. If you still don't ask for God's guidance all because you think He's totally revealed something to you, you could be totally missing out on something else God is showing or revealing to you, and that (in my opinion) is a great loss! Sadly, it is quite easy to do...I'm trying to get out of that.
Man, seriously, growing up can be a real pain...there is so much to think about and to consider as you "come of age", so to speak. I'm almost done with my AA degree, but that means I have to think about what I want to do afterwards (or more importantly, what God wants for me!). I'm currently thinking of a second part-time job and, actually, marriage, lol! Obviously I'm not going to get married now, but man, I am really reaching that age and it seems time to really be thinking about it :/ There's so much to consider with that and that's in addition to thinking about my career! Man, I'm driving myself nuts just thinking about thinking it! lol! The thing is, I know God has someone out there for me (if it's His will for me to even get married at some point), but I still have a problem with patiently waiting! :P Oh well, there's really nothing else for me to do, but pray for His will and guidance :)
I'm still psyched about going into ministry! It is said that ministry doesn't pay well, which is true, but I think it would be not only rewarding, but also amazing to see God pull through and provide all the needs, even if you don't have a lot of money! Personally, I would rather make zero dollars and see God provide my every need than to have all the money in the world, but miss out on God working! That would be quite a loss and I don't plan on giving in to that! I have talked to people in ministry and they have told me soooo many awesome stories about how God pulled through, sometimes even at the last minute! To hear about His protection and provision is sooo inspiring and just, I don't know, no words can even describe how I feel with that!
So even though I know God is leading me into youth ministry, I'm still praying and asking for guidance about it because you never know if that could very well change; it could even be something similar, but not exactly what I initially thought. And if so, I know His hands will be upon the situation anyway, so that is extremely comforting to know!!
God is good! All the time!! :)
"...being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
What a simple, but often overlooked truth! I gotta say, if God provides all your needs in every way, shape, and form, how CAN you overlook that? I do have to admit though, I am (most unfortunately) guilty of that at times :P Today I read Psalm 13 and it's about David feeling like God is not paying attention to him and that He isn't gonna pull through during the hard times he was going through, but then David thinks about how God has pulled through and provided in numerous occasions and he praises Him for that! Well right now, I feel quite like David in that chapter. In fact, how many of us DON'T feel like that at times?? God really does have a different way of doing things than us. Sometimes it's frustrating and you just want to rip your hair out because of the "God, You're going too slow" feeling. As humans (and especially in this day and age), we just want things the way we want it and now. Just look at fast food, high speed internet (even internet on phones), and overnight shipping! It's no wonder we can't utilize patience and contentment! As christians, that just makes it more of a challenge, but I know it's possible to do...just not on our own! :P
I swear I sound like a broken record, but seriously, life can just be difficult and annoying at times! Especially thinking about the future! There is sooo much to think about and seemingly so little time! (You're probably thinking, "Oh dear, here he goes again..."). But really, even though I may sound confident in where God is leading me in life, I never fully am until I have reached that point. Even when it seems like God has made something "crystal clear" or "undoubtedly revealed", I STILL pray about the matter anyways! I think if we're trusting God to lead us to where He wants us in life, we should ALWAYS pray for His guidance and wisdom, even when we already feel sure. If you have everything figured out...you're not human! haha! I thought so many times God was showing me something or revealed something to me and it ended up changing at some point. I kinda learned from there on, to be honest, lol! God has a way of flipping things around if He desires and if you're not ready, or not expecting it, you're going to be in for a real shock! Basically, never say "never"! And I'm not referring to Justin Bieber, hahaha!!
The discipling I'm doing is going pretty well, but I have to admit, it is hard to get into the mindset of a middle schooler when you feel so past that age, lol! My thinking and personality are so different that I feel like I just can't relate to them. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love discipling, but perhaps middle schoolers aren't "my thing". The problem is, I can't really do high schoolers at the moment because I'm so close in age with them, so that's why I think middle schoolers are the better choice for now. I also still pray if this is what God wants me to do right now. 'Cause honestly, I'm not really sure if I should be discipling at the moment. As I said, I still pray about something even when it seems all "put together", because you never know. If you still don't ask for God's guidance all because you think He's totally revealed something to you, you could be totally missing out on something else God is showing or revealing to you, and that (in my opinion) is a great loss! Sadly, it is quite easy to do...I'm trying to get out of that.
Man, seriously, growing up can be a real pain...there is so much to think about and to consider as you "come of age", so to speak. I'm almost done with my AA degree, but that means I have to think about what I want to do afterwards (or more importantly, what God wants for me!). I'm currently thinking of a second part-time job and, actually, marriage, lol! Obviously I'm not going to get married now, but man, I am really reaching that age and it seems time to really be thinking about it :/ There's so much to consider with that and that's in addition to thinking about my career! Man, I'm driving myself nuts just thinking about thinking it! lol! The thing is, I know God has someone out there for me (if it's His will for me to even get married at some point), but I still have a problem with patiently waiting! :P Oh well, there's really nothing else for me to do, but pray for His will and guidance :)
I'm still psyched about going into ministry! It is said that ministry doesn't pay well, which is true, but I think it would be not only rewarding, but also amazing to see God pull through and provide all the needs, even if you don't have a lot of money! Personally, I would rather make zero dollars and see God provide my every need than to have all the money in the world, but miss out on God working! That would be quite a loss and I don't plan on giving in to that! I have talked to people in ministry and they have told me soooo many awesome stories about how God pulled through, sometimes even at the last minute! To hear about His protection and provision is sooo inspiring and just, I don't know, no words can even describe how I feel with that!
So even though I know God is leading me into youth ministry, I'm still praying and asking for guidance about it because you never know if that could very well change; it could even be something similar, but not exactly what I initially thought. And if so, I know His hands will be upon the situation anyway, so that is extremely comforting to know!!
God is good! All the time!! :)
"...being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
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