What Are You Missing Out On?

Jesus just rocked my world in my quiet time with Him tonight. 

And I'm going to be honest... I haven't been spending daily time with Him while I've been home for break. I've wanted to but it's not been a priority on my day to day busyness of being home and when I lay down to go to sleep I always tell myself "I'll try better tomorrow."

But what if I'm missing something so beautiful the Lord has to show me or give to me but I'm missing out on it because I'm not fully in tune with Him?

Just let me get started on what Jesus showed me:

Luke 2:8- "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." (KJV)
- I made sure to note that this is KJV because of the word "abiding" - Why? - Just wait -

John 15:4&5- "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (KJV)
- Catch where I'm going with this yet? - Yes? - No? - I'm about to give you an earful anyway.. - Keep Reading -

I don't think its a coincidence that Luke talks about the shepherds abiding in the field when he gives us his account of the birth of Jesus.

[The word ABIDE means: to remain or continue; to stay or live somewhere]

In the classic Christmas Story of Luke 2 we see in verses 8-12 that the shepherds were approached by an angel and told of the Messiah.

Why shepherds? Shepherds were outcasts and despised and dirty.. why were these people first to be told of the birth of Jesus?

- Because the Love of Jesus excludes NO ONE -

"Not only did God humble Himself by sending His Son to earth, but He included the lowly, despised and looked down upon to be a part of the special day that would forever change history. From the very beginning, God was making it clear that everyone would be offered salvation through His Son." - Kate Grounds

But what IF the shepherds hadn't been in their fields abiding?

.... They would have missed out on the most extraordinary blessing of all time. 

Another thing I want to connect between these two passages is that the shepherds lived and stayed with their flock of sheep.

And in John 15 Jesus says He does the same with US!

- Us - His beautiful and most valued yet sinful creation -

He abides, continues, stays, remains in us - ALWAYS.

Jesus doesn't just abide with us when it's "convenient" for Him or when "we're all cleaned up" or "on our best behavior"

NO.

Your Father stays & remains with you through your good days and your darkest days. He is with you when you're fervently seeking Him and when you're doing everything you can to push Him away. He is constantly pursuing YOUR heart.

Why you might ask?

After all I've done?

After I've lost my virginity?

After I've cut myself?

After I've looked at porn?

After I've smoked pot?

After I've lied?

After all the horrible things I've done in my life that have been unpleasing to God?

Why me?

I'll give you TWO reasons:

1) 1 John 4:9&10- "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (KJV)

[Propitiation- the removal of divine wrath]

2) John 3:16&17- "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (KJV)

He loves you.

You are loved so extravagantly by your Father.

I hope all of that made sense and that this Christmas we don't look at the birth of Jesus in such a nonchalant way that we're so accustomed to hearing every year.

I hope this year that we look at the Christmas Story as the beginning of God's love story for us. The birth of the Messiah is just the beginning of His love story for each and every one of us no matter who we are or what we've done and I'm so thankful that I'm known by Him.

What blessing(s) are you missing out on by not constantly and consistently abiding & remaining with Him?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suMhQ3ETCyI&feature=youtu.be

The Chopping Block: What's Next?

Well, I'm down for a couple days with strep and I haven't posted in four months so I thought I should probably do that.

As this semester is coming to an end all I can think about is how crazy it's been. Crazy in a good way. Not saying I've not had my struggles this semester, because believe me I have, but God has allowed me to see His goodness in it all.

At the beginning of this semester I held a leadership role on my hall where once a week I would lead 4 girls from my hall in a Bible study and not only did I get to do that but through that, I got to know each of those girls so much better and build awesome relationships with them. However, there came a point where my circumstances in life really challenged my view of God and I became angry with God and began to push away His truths. In all of this I stepped down from my leadership position because I didn't feel like I was in a position to lead my girls because I wasn't practicing the things I was trying to teach them. I wanted them to be effectively poured into and ministered to; so, I gave up my position. 

You might see that as just another failure in this life and think that I've moved on from it. You could think that and you would be partially right. For a few weeks, I saw it as a failure. I saw myself as a failure and a disappointment; but, I didn't move on from it and I'm glad I didn't. Me having to make that decision has become a big mile marker in my life. Now I can look back on that (even two months later) and see God's goodness in it. I no longer see that point in my life as a failure. I look at that point and see it as a set back that set me up for something so much greater. 

And that thing that was so much greater?
    -Growing significantly closer to my Father.

[Side Note: whatever temptation you're struggling with, whatever decision you're having to make, whatever happens in this life rest in the FACT that God is always always always better. Rest in that and pursue Him with everything that you are.]

I still haven't let that go. I have learned (and still am learning) so much from that experience and because I took a step back, I got to grow more than I knew was possible. Seeing where I was then and now is a lot different and it's all happened in the span of one semester and I thank God daily for the things, good and bad, that have led me to where I am right now. 

So if you're feeling like you something is holding you back from being in a closer relationship with God, you might be right. My question to you is: The thing(s) you're holding on to, is that thing helping you run towards Jesus? Or is that thing slowing you down? 

It could even be a good thing that's prohibiting you from getting closer to Jesus. 

Are you willing to place that thing, good or bad, on the chopping block before your Father (who LOVES you and only wants His best for you) and let Him do what He wants with it?


So that's just one part of what's been going on this semester.
And I would honestly really love to hear what you guys think and if you want to know more of what God has been doing this semester.

I Was Attacked

I was attacked

The moment I least expected it

Just when I let the lie slip into my mind that I had my life together

Let me give you a little backstory-

Last Wednesday I wrote a blog on how incredibly thankful I was for God working in me this summer and growing me and for the new relationships I've made. Don't get me wrong, I'm still insanely thankful for each of those things but little did I know the battle I was about to walk into.

If I'm being honest, I've struggled with an addiction to pornography since I was 11. And I don't ever really include this as part of my testimony because I hate that it's something I struggle with. I hate that sometimes when I admit this, I allow the enemy to give me shame and guilt about it but from everything that has gone on lately, I feel like I really need to start telling people how God is healing me through this.

Now I didn't address this addiction until December 2014 and since then I've been daily fighting to trust the Lord in it and I can proudly say by Jesus' strength only that it's been 138 days since the last time I looked at porn. 

But man sometimes it's still a hard battle. And some days are a thousand times harder than other days. And then sometimes I can even go a few days without even thinking about it. For example I haven't thought about looking at it for awhile now and I'm talking about like a month or so I haven't desired it and I was totally on fire for the Lord and working with kids and students and got to lead students at camp and this summer has been amazing and then late Thursday night, I was tempted harder than I've felt in a long time and by the prayers of others and the strength of Jesus, I didn't give in. But that's only when the battle began and I didn't realize it. I haven't been tempted as hard with porn since Thursday but Satan has used every other thing in my past to try to get me to fall since then.

Friday and Saturday, I was fine. I was in the Bible and praying and doing everything right and Sunday I got to serve some kids that I love with my whole heart and I got to serve alongside people that have become my family the past three months and got to stand and worship God standing beside people I can't imagine doing life without. Sunday was great. I came home and took a nap and then immediately when I woke up, Jesus was at work. I got to have an hour long conversation with a friend so dear to my heart and we both began to find healing in confession to one another and we talked only about Jesus for the entire hour and after that, I dove into Gods word and stayed up until 3am thanking Him and praising Him and craving to learn more about Jesus and then Monday morning here I am reading in Jude and so in love with the word of God and then just when I started to think that I have my life together, I let Satan in. 

By letting the enemy tricking me into believing that I had my own life under my own control, I allowed him the opportunity to speak lies into my head that lead me to writing this post. And I can be honest in saying that I will never have my own life altogether. It's never going to be a picture perfect scene that comes with the stigma of being a Christian but I love that I can rest in the fact that I'm a daughter of the Most High King who IS in fact, holding me together.

Anyway, if you know my story at all you know that in the summer between my 8th grade and 9th grade year, I developed an eating disorder (if you wanna read more about my story click here: http://notbondagebutfreedom.blogspot.com/2014/12/here-it-goes.html) So when I ate lunch today, I gave satan a little room in my head to tell me that I was fat enough already and didn't need to eat. I ate anyway because I mean I was hungry and it didn't really phase me. Then 5 hours later when I went to get something else to eat, I was overwhelmed by the fear of gaining weight and didn't want to eat anymore and I just began to cry. And then I just took a breathe and heard Jesus in my head reminding me of how much He loved me and so I ate my dinner. Two victories right? Thanks for that, God. Then I drank some water. What harm can come from drinking some water? Well nothing really unless you overindulge in it to prevent yourself from wanting food... which is what I did. I drank 5 bottles of water in half an hour to make myself consistently feel full so I wouldn't be tempted to eat anything and I was almost sick from making myself do that. Then God put me in a conversation with someone that made me realize the behaviors I was slipping back into and that He had given me victories along the way but that I was not done fighting for my freedom in the sin that bound me for so long. And that yes there is such freedom at the feet of Jesus but Satan is always going to try to slip into your mind and get you to think otherwise because he hates God so much for loving your soul so well. 

So the past 5 days I've been at war with the enemy and have been fighting to follow the Lord with all my heart and today I was blindsided by the enemy who thought he could get one over on God and drag me back down into self-hate. But man am I so glad to serve a God who loves my heart to death; literally to death in that He suffered so that I could have freedom. 

And I guess I'm sharing this with you to encourage you in your fight with whatever it might be.

Your fight might be porn

Or an eating disorder

Or cutting yourself

Or homosexuality

Or dealing with being the victim of rape or any other kind of assault

I don't know what your fight is but I can tell you that I serve a loving and caring Father who DOES know your fight and wants to come alongside you in the battle your facing and give you the victory in whatever seems too big for you to handle on your own. And I'm going to urge you to reach out to someone if you're going through something that's pushing you to the brink losing all hope. That someone can be me. It can be your best friend or your parents or whoever. But just talk about it because healing comes through confession.

To everyone that reads this: you are loved. you are enough. you are treasured and valued. and you do not have to fight this alone.

Speechless Yet Thankful

Words can't describe what I'm actually feeling right now but this is my best shot haha

As I'm sitting here writing this my heart is just overflowing with happiness, joy, and thankfulness. 

As I reflect on all the opportunities I've had this summer I can't help but thank God for each new relationship I've made.

In May I got to go to Africa for 18 days and a team I barely knew getting on the first plane became such a close family and important part of my life by the time we got off the last plane. 

After Africa I got to start serving at [FUSE] which is the youth ministry of my church back home. I thought this ministry had changed my life as a student; I had no idea what I was in for as a leader. I started serving with the VIP Team which welcomes and signs in students who are coming to [FUSE] for the first time. We get to connect with them and build relationships and then see them after the service and continue growing that relationship over food and drinks. My first night serving, I made relationships with other leaders that I plan on keeping for a very long time. I thought that this experience was God confirming His calling me into youth ministry but little did I know what He had in store. As camp (GauntletX) approached I got apprehensive as to whether I was even good enough to be a leader and whether or not my story meant anything. Then NewSpring called me and told me they wanted to use my story as part of a project they were working on for the church and that blew my mind. Guys I gave my life to Jesus one year ago and now He's using my story to reach others in such a vast way like woah. So things progressed in that and then Gauntlet happened. 

I walked in so nervous about leading the three girls who were going be to be in my room and the moment I sat my bags down to load on the bus, God gave me such a dear dear friend to do life with that week. I got to serve alongside Morgan all week and I couldn't imagine having any other girls be in my room. Their stories and their hearts spoke volumes to me and they taught me so much. That week was when God said "Hey this is the stuff I want you to get to do for the rest of your life" and man if that's not the best news I've ever heard! 

Tonight I just got done serving one of my last weeks at [FUSE] before I head back to Liberty. Tonight I got to say thank you to some very important people in my life for always pushing me and encouraging me. Tonight I realized how amazing of a summer I've had. Tonight I realized that I wasn't supposed to work at a camp all summer because if I had, I wouldn't be going back to school with these absolutely incredible people being part of my life. Tonight I am so overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness that I don't know what to do with it but write about it and thank God for every single second of it. 

So that's my summer and to you it may not seem like a whole lot but to me, this summer has been life changing and one of the most important seasons of my life.

At the beginning of the summer I felt so dry and yes I was in my word and being encouraged but all I had to go on every day was my knowledge of the Lord because my faith just wasn't feeling it. But through this I've learned that my faith isn't about just "feeling it." It's about waking up every day and ,no matter what I'm feeling, pursuing God with my whole heart because He has greater things in store for me than I could ever ask for or imagine.

I had the summer I had for a reason. Each new relationship I made had its purpose. Each lesson I've learned, I get to take back to Liberty and to the student ministry I serve with up there and God is going to continue to use me in huge ways because of what He's taught me in this season. I don't know what's ahead in this life but I do know that I'm so excited for the journey the Lord has for me.

I wish I could better explain all of the emotions going on inside me right now but this is the best I've got.

To you who made it this far in this post, thanks for reading.

If you've read this all the way through and you've been apart of my summer in any way at all, thank you. Because you where were God wanted you at the right time, you made a difference in the 3 months I've been home. You have made this one of the most memorable summers of my life and I am so grateful to you.

Too Broken

Lately I've felt the Lord just constantly stirring in my spirit and burdening my heart with such urgency for the souls of the hurting, broken, and lost. 

Then I realized that this is how we should feel all the time! 

That's how God feels about His children- an urgency for them to come to know Him and we should have the same attitude to see our own brothers and sisters come to know Him too. 

I realized this during a retreat that I went on with my Africa team and as soon as I did, Satan began attacking me in what seemed to be the little ways. My team sat around one another and we began to share our testimonies. As soon as we started, I began to think mine was too broken and that mine was too weird and that I only needed to share things in my life similar to the others in my group. For the first time, I didn't want to share my testimony. I didn't want people to know who I used to be and how broken and rebellious I used to be. 

However, God has completely different plans and when I opened my mouth and started, I shared everything except two aspects God is still working on me in putting into my testimony. {If you want to read my testimony click here: http://notbondagebutfreedom.blogspot.com/2014/12/here-it-goes.html}

But besides that- everything. 

Our testimonies were supposed to be around 4-5 minutes long and mine ended up being 9. Even after laying it all out there for my team, satan still told me I was too broken for the people I'll be ministering to in Africa and that they won't be able to relate to my testimony. 

I then got really quiet and didn't like being attacked because I've felt God in the strongest ways lately and didn't feel Him in that moment and I realized I had gotten too prideful of that- of God working and moving in my life and feeling invincible. 

I went to sleep in prayer and with close friends praying for me and woke up and in doing my quiet time I decided to read Psalm 62 because of a song I've grown quite fond of. {If you want to listen to that which I strongly encourage click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5nXhvJ0i5w}

In reading this, I felt so encouraged and revived and realized that I'm not invincible by any means but that God within me IS and He will NOT fail. 

God ALONE loves me and cherishes me and fights for me. 

I strongly encourage you who read this to read that passage and even listen to that song. 

• No testimony is ever too broken. 
• Who you are now or who you have been is never too broken or messed up for God to use. 
• He has you where He wants you and the season He wants you in for a divine reason. 
• God will use you wherever you are and will lead you in what He wants you to do and will place people in your path that you're able to help and able to minister to. 
• You are not broken and neither is your story. 

Psalm 62 directly tells us that God is our refuge where NO enemy can reach us. He ALONE is our rock and salvation where we will NOT be shaken.

In writing this Psalm, David doesn't say that it's God + our control (or whatever), he says that it's God + Nothing. 

The word "alone" is mentioned 4 times in this chapter and in every context being in God Himself having all of the power and strength and being the One we should base our trust and faith upon. And because God alone has ALL the power, the enemy cannot harm/ touch us. 

The people who bring you down in life- God says their words and actions mean nothing and are lighter than a breath of air.

The things done against you do not define you. 

God Alone Is Our Steadfast Rock And Hope And We Will Not Be Shaken.

Liberty University 4/22/15

Tonight was truly unexplainable.

Tonight was reviving and healing and glorious and the student body left Campus Community filled with the Spirit and lives utterly changed.

We left on a spiritual high- not saying that's not okay because I needed healing tonight as much as the next person- but what happens tomorrow?

What happens when we get back to our dorms and get a bad phone call from home or wake up the next morning with temptation and fear staring us in the face waiting for us to crawl back into what we were just set free from?

What happens then?

What's the aftermath of being on a high?




War



Yes I said war. As soon as we began to walk away from the events of tonight, Satan was already planning ways to hit us where it hurts and bring us right back down. The enemy is going to put the wrong people in your path and create seemingly unbearable circumstances to make you question the healing you experienced tonight. (I'm preaching this to myself as well.) 

So how do we combat that?

How is our flesh supposed to fight back?

Well it's actually an easy and shocking answer: 
                   WE DONT FIGHT

What the heck? Why not? Is the enemy just going to walk all over me?

The answer to that is yes- if you let him.

The solution to war is not fight because God is fighting for us. God has already won every battle we're going through. He fights for us daily but the great thing to REST in is that JESUS PAID FOR ALL OF IT ON THE CROSS. The blood shed of Christ covered us and our circumstances with grace, mercy, and a vast, unconditional love. 

So take away from all of the above with peace and rest that your Father is holding you so close to Him. 

{Son, your Father has it covered. There is nothing you can do that will make Him love you more than He already does. There is nothing here on this earth that you can achieve to make Him more proud of you.}

{Daughter, you Father calls you loved. He calls you perfect and beautiful and holy and righteous in His eyes. He sees no flaw in His creation and formation of you. There is nothing you can do to earn His approval or satisfaction of you because He's the proudest a person ever could be of YOU.}

I'm going to do one more thing and write out a prayer for those who take the time to read this and make it this far..


-God, I thank you for the way You showed up and showed out at Campus Community tonight. I'm thankful for Your sovereignty and for who You are and for Jesus' blood on the cross that has paid our debt in FULL. I pray tonight for those reading this and even for those who will never know this prayer exists in that You guard them as they travel home to bad circumstances, as they face old temptation throughout the day. God, I pray that You give them a constant reminder that You are holding them so near and that You have already overcome the trial in front of them. I pray you give them peace and rest in knowing You have paid and covered it ALL. I pray that they wake up each day and go throughout the day with their focus fixed on You and that they're not afraid to just stop and pray for strength when they need it. I pray You remind them that they are healed and forgiven from their past and that any sin that they've ever done does NOT define them. Let them know that their identity is the sons and daughters of Your kingdom that You have pronounced and claimed them to be. I pray they seek accountability with their struggles God and that You bless them with community and surround them with encouragement and blessings. I pray that as we prepare to part from one another that You intercede on our behalf to put people in our path right now that we will be able to do life with back home and let us not forget the things we've learned here from one another and how we've grown in You. I pray that You take away all worry, fear, shame, any emotion that is not of You, God, I pray you ease our hearts, minds, and souls and continue to strengthen us through You and through the community we have here together in the next few weeks to remind us that we're not alone in life and in our struggles and to remind us of what a supportive family we're apart of and the blessing and privilege that is here at Liberty. I pray all of these things in Your holy, precious, healing, trusting, powerful name Jesus - Amen.}

Service + Responsibility

The world has varying opinions about Christianity.
Some say that life "gets easier" after becoming a Christian. Others say that there are too many "rules" and "laws." Nevertheless, one thing can be agreed upon here: Children of God have responsibility. 

Now what exactly do I mean by that? Well in specific context of this post -- We are called to spread the gospel wherever we're planted. That could be where you work, the people you get into the elevator with everyday, your peers in class, or the people you go and directly serve overseas or maybe even in the next town over. God has so many of us planted in thousands of places across the world to spread His gospel. But you may be asking why is this our "responsibility?"

Responsibility is defined in the Merriam- Webster Dictionary as: "a duty or task that you are required or expected to do"

If we are serious about being a child of God and wanting to live out the life He has in store for us and wanting to do His will, then it is our duty to SERVE Him in making His name known.

[-Now notice I said SERVE. Let me make one tiny thing clear: God does not need us. He doesn't need us sinful humans to make sure that He is known and glorified. He Is God. He could do it all by Himself, but that's not what He wants. He WANTS us. He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to serve Him by serving others just as He would. God is God. He can do anything He wants and He CHOSE to create you and I. He wants you on this earth. That just blows my mind-]

Okay, rant over.






Eh not really.



Matthew 28:19-20 says "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”


God calls us to go. He wants US to DO His will. But get this- God does not just want us to "do" He wants us to BE. God doesn't want us to do these things just because we're told to. He doesn't want us to spread His gospel to one or two people and then proclaim to have fulfilled His work- No. He wants us to BE proclaimers of Him everywhere we go and to everyone we talk to. We, as His servants, should BE His light for others in the dark places to see. Move from the occasional action of being a servant to something that defines you as a Child of God.

And this applies to everyone.

• Not just the people who go and evangelize overseas.
• Not everyone is called to be a witness to those in other countries and that's okay.

But we are all called to spread God's word and be missionaries in wherever He puts us.

Just because you don't go overseas to serve, does not mean that you're not a missionary.

If you are a Child of God serving our Father and making His name known, you're a missionary. Simple as that.

However, for those of us who stay where we're planted, we do need to support our brothers and sisters who do feel the call to go overseas. Not necessarily with money but also with constant prayer in their mission to seek the lost in other countries where it is harder to spread the gospel and to those who have been kept from ever hearing the name of Jesus.

I feel called to go overseas and will take any chance I get to do so. One of my best friends feels called to stay in the US and be a witness wherever God places her. 

• BOTH OF THESE CALLINGS ARE OKAY 

What's not okay is staying lukewarm and getting stuck in complacency and contentment. As children of God, we're supposed to be on fire to share His goodness. You never know who around you needs hope or encouragement and all it takes is you listening to whatever calling God is placing on your life and stepping out in faith that He will provide for you financially and will give you strength and wisdom to do His will.

So, what is God calling you to do?

You Choose- Fear or Father

This week has been by far one of the hardest that I've had in a long time. 

• Sunday I felt something in my spirit that wasn't settling right.
• Monday I found out that my best friend is physically fighting for her body to be well.
• Tuesday I got in an argument with one of my best friends here at Liberty.
• Wednesday I couldn't even worship or even talk to God because of the negative attitude I had developed and how resentful I was feeling.

Nothing in my life was going the way I wanted it and I felt like everyone and everything was crumbling around me.

I started to become terrified of what else life was going to throw at me next. 

I took the anxieties of everyone else and put them upon myself and Satan took that foothold and made me scared and in desperate need of some kind of control. I naturally took a tight hold of my eating disorder because I knew that no one else could control what happened in that aspect of my life and I let Satan feed me the lie that if were "prettier" or what the heck ever that my life wouldn't be as bad as it was in this past week.

I bought into that and held on.

But through this week God still blessed me.
Even though I wasn't taking care of my body properly

---

Even though I wasn't in His word or praying 

---

Even though I had completely turned my back on His truth and was trying to deal with all of these issues in my own way....

God still provided for me and blessed such an undeserving sinner

GOD IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL.

If I'm being totally honest I didn't plan to write this and I'm not sure what direction it's even going in.

But what I do know is that while I've run from God this week, He's pursued my heart relentlessly and after reading this: https://courtneypwarren.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/no-such-thing-as-fear/ and listening to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1RQciil7B0 I felt the arms of my loving Father pick my soul up and cradle me in His arms and just love on me in the most gracious and undeserving way and tell me that He's got it; that I don't have to live in the constant fear of Satan attacking me because I AM HIS DAUGHTER and He has me right where He wants me.

He's blessed me with exactly the right people.
He's put me in the middle of the perfect storms so that I could be reminded of how much I needed Him and how I can't do this life on my own.

2 Timothy 1:7 tells me that "God hasn't give [me] a spirit of fear and timidity, but of POWER, LOVE, and SELF- DISCIPLINE."

Power in HIS name.
Love that He so freely pours out upon us.
Self- Discipline in His will and proclivity to run TO Him in the hard times.



1 John 4: 16 & 18 reassures me that "16 We know how much God loves us and we have put our trust in His love. 18 Such loves has NO FEAR, because PERFECT LOVE EXPELS FEAR."

You are HIS SON and HIS DAUGHTER.

He is working ALL things for your GOOD. Not to harm you but to help build a lasting relationship with your Father in heaven who will NEVER fail you or give up on you or walk away from you!!

- God is still God and God is still good - To God Be The Glory -

- You Can't Do Life Alone -

- Growing People Change -

Carrying Names

What does it mean to carry a name?

Funny thing is- we do it all the time. Every day. Every second. We all carry the "name" of something or even someone.

We carry the name of Apple and Steve Jobs because we carry around our Macs, iPhones, iPads, iPods- etc.
We carry the name of the name brands of the clothes that we wear.
We carry the name of sports teams we pull for and their merchandise that we wear.

So why is it so hard for us Christians to carry the name of Jesus? When it comes to being a Christian, why do we back down when it comes to carrying the name of Jesus? We can wear cross necklaces and bracelets and wear a T- shirt from a Christian band- don't get me wrong, those aren't bad things- but is that all we do to carry His name? Just go to church and post a Bible verse on Facebook and wear Christian branded things?

When we carry a name, we talk about it. For example:
"Hey man where'd you get that shirt?"
"Oh I got it at Hollister. It wasn't cheap but it was a gift. Looks good doesn't it?"

WHAT IF OUR CONVERSATIONS WENT MORE LIKE THIS:

"Hey man where'd you get your constant joy?"
"Oh ya know, Jesus. The price He paid for me to have this joy wasn't cheap but it's the best gift I've ever received besides the fact that when He paid the price to give me this joy, it also covered the cost of my sins."


When we carry the name of Jesus we should do it with such urgency to make His name and His love and His grace known to those we come in contact with on a daily basis.
When we carry His name we should be completely UNASHAMED to do so. We should carry it without fear of being persecuted because when we are covered by the blood of Jesus who CONQUERED death and hell itself, there isn't a single thing we should live in fear of; His name is so great and mighty that we can't wrap our small little minds around it; His name is so incredibly worthy of our proclamation of and get this:

God doesn't need us to carry His name or to make it great. God is God and He doesn't "need" anyone to defend Him. He can glorify Himself by Himself if He wanted to... 

but that's not at all what He wanted. 

He CHOSE to give you and I life and a voice and multitude of ways to communicate. It's our duty as His servants to carry His name and make His name known throughout the entire world and to those around us.

So I have a question for the one or two of you that are reading this-
How Do You Carry The Name Of Jesus?


John 1:14
John 14:13

The Answer To All Of Your Problems:

Jesus.

I've recently started my second semester of college and the first week in has no doubt been the hardest. From a loaded week of classes to trying to make ends meet financially for a missions trip, I have been nothing less of stressed... and this is only week one.

I've asked all the questions and have felt all the emotions.
- Why aren't my efforts to raise money good enough?
- Why am I in this major instead of that one?
- Should I really be minoring in this?
- God, give me peace about this situation.
- God, where are you?
- Am I supposed to go on this mission trip or that?
- God, give me clarity and point me in the right direction.
- God, I'm so frustrated with you!

Ok. I think you get the point.

But whether it's stepping into a storm, being in the midst of one, or walking out of one we've all felt these emotions and asked these questions on some level.

My best friend and I have seen God work in such miraculous ways over Christmas break and into our first week of the new semester and sometimes (actually all the time) we find ourselves looking to one another or texting one another throughout the day and just saying- "Jesus." 

Why "Jesus" you ask?

Because even while my mom was in and out of doctors office over break and even while my best friend was struggling to maintain her focus on God in a secular workplace and while I've struggled with breaking free of my past over the break and even while trying to get my finances together for my missions trip, Jesus has never failed to show up and show out.

He. Never. Fails.

     Is my mom getting better? Yes and the results were better than we expected thanks to Jesus.
     Did my best friend seek Jesus in her workplace over break? Yes and she even got to tell me a cool story of how her witness and Jesus in her affected her coworkers.
     Am I set free from the past that home brings me back into? Yes and now I'm closer to Jesus because of it.
     Am I getting closer to meeting my financial goal for my trip? No I'm not but Jesus IS and He's showing me to lean into Him and trust Him more and more and give up my control and He IS coming through and He IS providing.

You and I don't have the same circumstances. We're not going through the same storms or dealing with exactly the same things but we do have one thing in common-- Jesus.

Jesus is BIGGER than our storms.
Jesus can and WILL provide in any circumstance.

Romans 8:28 says "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."

This is one of my FAVORITE verses.
Let me just break it down for you.

     "And we know..."- We KNOW!!! Ok, how great is that?! We don't have to think Jesus will do something or hope that He will because we are given the peace to KNOW that He will always come through and provide.
     "...that God causes everything to work together..."- You might ask why I'm stopping here but just bear with me. This little bit right here means that God is always working in our lives. He doesn't give up on us!! Ever. God has not and will not ever stop working in your life as long as you love and serve Him.
     "...for the good of those who love Him..."- I know you're getting tired of me breaking this up into fragments but we're almost done! Okay so we KNOW that Jesus is ALWAYS working in our lives but then sometimes we ask in the bad circumstances "God, why did You let this happen?" Well in this fragment here in Romans, we can KNOW that God is ALWAYS working in our lives for our GOOD. When Jesus says no to a prayer or to an opportunity that's given to us, it isn't bad for us because Jesus only has our BEST intentions in mind and He is ALWAYS working to BENEFIT us and for our greater good. 

So yeah, your circumstances aren't the best. The storm you're walking in right now may feel like it's unbearable but DO NOT GIVE UP. Keep leaning in towards God and putting your faith, trust, and control in Him so that He is glorified through even the hardest times that you walk through.

Now that has all been said and done, go click on a JESUS link and enjoy the song :)